


Strained Bonds: Dark World

by Weaver_of_Fate



Series: (Old Series) Strained Bonds [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But they've got a long way to go, Canon Divergence - Thor (2011), Canon Divergence - Thor: The Dark World, Canon Relationships, Canon Rewrite, Gen, Have you ever been so upset at a movie that you decided to rewrite it? Because that’s what I did!, I tried to make Jane more interesting and have more chemistry with Thor did it work?, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Has Issues, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki is a Good Bro (Marvel), Maybe - Freeform, Odin (Marvel)'s A+ Parenting, The Odinson bros are trying, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Thor Needs a Hug (Marvel), Thor: Dark World Rewrite, Thor: The Dark World, You'll have to read and find out, but they'll get there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 46,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26004979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weaver_of_Fate/pseuds/Weaver_of_Fate
Summary: One year after the battle of New York, Thor and Loki reunite, and the Reality Stone awakens and takes possession of Jane Foster. Its awakening shakes Svartlheim to its very core and the brothers are forced to work together to fight against the darkness, all while facing their past, their present, and hopefully repairing their strained bonds.
Relationships: Jane Foster/Thor, Loki/Sigyn, Odin/Frigga
Series: (Old Series) Strained Bonds [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931257
Comments: 27
Kudos: 39





	1. The Trial

**Author's Note:**

> This story was made by myself and my best friend who I’ll call Mari! It’s the first time I’ll be posting any work here, so I hope you all like it! I'll be posting each chapter within one or two days of each other, so keep a lookout!

How had it all come to this? Once a renowned prince of Asgard, now marching into the throne room in chains to hear his sentencing. Where had it all gone wrong? 

Loki walked through the halls he played in as a child, chains rattling with every step. So many happy memories within these walls, now tainted by the crimes he'd committed. The guards held his chains like he were a dog on a leash, ready to attack at a moment's notice. But he had resigned himself to his fate. After all, what else was there to do? What more could he lose? 

As the doors to the throne room were firmly shut behind them, Loki steeled himself as he was brought before the king. He held his head held high even though the metal around his neck, wrists, and ankles weighed him down. 

His mother stood on the sidelines, fiddling with her palm. She looked older than the last time he'd seen her, so much more tired. He almost walked past her, but her voice stopped him. "Loki." 

Her voice was so gentle, so loving, even now. It hurt. He didn't want to hope, didn't deserve it. So he did what he was best at; he put on a mask.   
"Hello, Mother." He smiled wryly at her. "Have I made you proud?" 

His mother frowned at him, the way she always did when he did something to disappoint her. Don't do that, Mother, this was already painful enough. "Please, don't make this worse." 

"Define 'worse'." Honestly, dear mother, how could things _possibly_ get any worse? 

"Enough." his father's hard voice boomed through the mostly empty room. "I will speak to the prisoner alone." 

Frigga watched Loki for a moment more with a deep concerned frown before she left the throne room, leaving her son to her husband's judgement. He wasn't angry with her for it, though. After all, she loved Odin. He didn't know how or why, perhaps she still saw him as the bright young man he once must've been... just like she did with Loki, always seeing who he used to be, not the monster he was now. The thought made his heart ache. But when he turned back to face his father, his heart hardened once more. 

He stepped forward to 'answer for his crimes,' the cuffs on his ankles clinking as they were placed close together. But he couldn't resist the urge to laugh at how serious it all was, raising his hands a bit to show off his restraints with a smirk on his face. "I really don't see what all the fuss is about." 

_Is this how you welcome your son back from the void?_ he thought cynically. 

"Do you not truly feel the gravity of your crimes? Wherever you go, there is war, ruin, and death." 

Loki managed to hide a wince at the reminder of what he'd done to Midgard. The screams, the destruction, the fire... He remembered it all. But what angered him was how Odin seemed to think he was above it all, above conquering a realm full of innocent people. 

"I went down to Midgard to rule the people of earth as a benevolent god." Loki smirked at him. "Just like you." 

Maybe he had Thor fooled, maybe he had all the Nine Realms fooled, but Loki was no fool. Not anymore. He knew all this gold didn't come from peace treaties and parties. 

_Is that why you hate me? Because I remind you of everything you've done?_

"We are not gods. We're born, we live, we die. Just as humans do." 

Loki rolled his eyes. Good to know he never changed, always looking to spew out his 'wisdom' to his flock of naive sheep. Norns, how did Loki ever stand him? "Give or take five thousand years." he said with an innocent smile. 

"All this because Loki desires a throne." 

Loki almost laughed. Of course Odin assumed that was why all this had happened. All for a damned throne. That way all the blame was on Loki. _Loki_ wanted a throne, _Loki_ was always jealous, _Loki_ was a tyrant king. Why _else_ would Loki suddenly decide to take over a planet that had little to no value compared to the rest of the Nine Realms? 

_"I never wanted a throne!"_ Loki remembered the words he'd shouted at Thor, just before the fight that would send Loki down into the void. _"All I ever wanted was to be your equal!"_

Though... with that memory came the question... why _had_ he done it then? Because the Mad Titan had given him the power to do so? No, that didn't sound right...   
But he played along, mockingly replying, "It is my birthright." After all, isn't that what Odin had always told him? Both he and Thor were born to be kings. But one was born to be a shining sun, and the other--

"Your birthright was to die!" his thoughts were interrupted by Odin's harsh shout. 

Loki couldn't help but flinch a little at Odin's sudden outburst. Your birthright was to die. Those words echoed over and over again in his head, to the point where he missed a few of Odin's next words, barely registering, "If I had not taken you in, you would not be here now to hate me." 

Loki's face twisted with anger as he took a step closer, glaring at the _merciful_ king of Asgard. Was he meant to _thank_ him for not leaving him in that frozen wasteland to die as a baby? Was he supposed to feel some sort of obligation to do what Odin wanted after he was overlooked, time and time again, in favor of Thor? Was he supposed to feel honored that Odin even considered taking in a _monstrous_ Frost Giant, that he was lucky to be born a Laufeyson and was recognized to be used as a puppet king of Jotunheim? 

Part of him wanted to scream at him, wanted to ask if he ever felt any love towards his adopted son, if he was ever anything more than a pawn in his scheme to bring Jotunheim under his full control. But he didn't. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of getting any emotional rise out of him, no matter how much he wanted to demand answers. 

"If I'm for the axe, then for mercy's sake, just... _swing it_." Loki sneered. He would have stepped closer, if not for the guards holding his chains. He'd much rather have his head removed than listen to Odin drone on about how evil Loki was, how cruel and unjust and everything Thor wasn't. "It's not that I don't love our little talks, it's just... I don't love them." 

"Frigga is the only reason you're still alive and you'll never see her again." Odin told his once son coldly, no warmth in his single, icy blue eye. "You will spend the rest of your days in the dungeon." 

He didn't think he could get a more hurtful punch to the gut than Odin's cruel words about his true birthright. Instead of a quick end to his miserable life, he'd be left to rot away in those horrid dungeons alone. And Mother... he'd never see Mother again... He stumbled a bit when the guards pulled at his chains, but he regained himself and glared up at Odin. 

"And what of Thor?" Loki had to ask. He almost wanted to ask if he was forbidden from seeing him as well, but he asked another question instead, still seething with rage on the inside. "You'll make that witless oaf king while I rot in chains?" 

"Thor must strive to undo the damage you have done." Odin told him sternly, as if talking to a disobedient child. "He will bring order to the Nine Realms, and then yes, he will be king." 

Loki's blood boiled as he was dragged off by the guards, out of the throne room and back down to the cells. He stewed in his anger as he was pushed into his cell and his chains were removed, repeating the whole confrontation over and over in his head. Not just anger in Odin, but in himself. All his life, he'd strived to win Odin's affections and approval, to be as good as Thor, to be clever and wise like their father--Thor's father. 

_"I could've done it, Father!"_ He remembered how desperately he'd sought his father's approval as he hung off the edge of the Bifrost. _"I could've done it! For you! For all of us...!"_

_"No, Loki."_

And in the end... it was all for nothing. Only now that he was pacing in his lonesome cell, with no one left in the Nine Realms who cared about him, did Loki truly realize he was never Odin's son... he was never Thor's equal. The realization made him clench his fists, magic sparking around him in his anger... and his grief. It had all been a lie... and he, the infamous trickster, had believed it all... 

_"I thought you dead..."_ he suddenly recalled his older brother clutching him by the arms as they stood on that cliff on Midgard, his brow pinched in anger and... relief? 

The memory made him freeze in place, his own brow furrowing in confusion. Relief? Why...? Why would he be relieved? Surely, all he'd wanted was the cube... 

_"Did you mourn?"_ Loki had emotionlessly asked, not even noticing the glimmer of relief in his Thor's eyes. 

_"We all did...!"_ Thor said, as if taken aback that Loki would even have to ask such a thing. _"Our father--"_

And Loki had held up his finger, interrupting his perfect older brother to correct him. _" Your father."_ Then he pushed him away harshly, walking a little ways past Thor and holding his aching, stinging back. 

_"We were raised together...!"_ Thor insisted from behind the trickster, following him with a hint of desperation in his voice that Loki again chose to ignore. _"We played together, we fought together! Do you remember none of that?"_

Loki furrowed his brow as he stood in the middle of his cell, contemplating his brother's questions. 'Do you remember none of that?' Now that he thought of it... faint memories tugged at his mind, glimpses of pranks gone awry and two boys laughing as they ran, of battles where they fought back to back, one with his weapon and one with his magic. 

_"Don't worry, I'll always keep you safe, brother!"_ He remembered a playful clap on the back as they walked through the cold realm of Jotunheim. 

_"And who will keep you safe, you big oaf?"_ He remembered the feeling of his own smile on his face, fond and amused at his brother's sentiments. 

And then he recalled his brother grabbing him by the arms again, shaking him as if it would snap him out of his madness. _"Give up the Tesseract, give up this poisonous dream!"_ his brother had demanded, clutching his arms tightly. But then Thor's face had softened and one of his hands came to grasp the side of Loki's neck, a gesture they'd shared their whole lives. There had been tears in his eyes, his brow pinched in desperation rather than anger. _"Come home..."_

Home... 

Loki slowly sat down, thinking deeply, replaying those moments on Midgard over and over and over again as the anger faded to nothing. Home... 

_"I remember you tossing me into an abyss...!"_

No, that... that wasn't right. He wasn't thrown... 

_"Loki, no!!"_ His brother's desperate screams rang in his ears as clear as day. How... how could he forget...? How could he forget his anguished cry as Loki fell into the void, his hand reaching out as if he could still save him? 

Lying down on his cot, he stared up at the ceiling, suddenly questioning every memory that passed through his mind. And he lay there for a long while, contemplating the memories that threatened to deafen him, trying to figure out what was real and what was not. 


	2. Memories

"Loki, hold on, please hold on!" Thor was begging, his hand outstretched as he tried to grab ahold of his little brother, dangling over the edge of the Bifrost. Tears stung at his eyes for the first time in years, reaching out desperately, to try and save him. "Brother, reach for me, please...!" 

Loki was smiling coldly at him, his own tears falling freely down his pale face. "I'm not your brother... I never was." 

His hand slipped away. 

Thor was screaming. Wailing. Still desperately trying to catch his baby brother. The tears wouldn't stop. 

_"LOKI!!"_

Thor was startled awake by the sound of loud beeping. Instinctively, he summoned his hammer and rushed to investigate, only to find his beautiful love, Jane, was waving a towel at the beeping device on her ceiling by the kitchen. 

"Shut up, you stupid--!" She quickly noticed him and smiled sheepishly. "Thor! Hey...! Sorry for waking you, this stupid thing gets kinda faulty." 

Thor chuckled a little as the obnoxious beeping finally stopped and he put his hammer on a nearby chair, calming down from the startling noise and the... nightmare... "It's quite alright, Jane." 

She smiled, grabbing two plates and placing their breakfast onto them. "I made pancakes and bacon, I know how much you love those." 

"You spoil me, love." he teased as he took one of the plates, enjoying the way her face lit up at the affectionate name. 

Ever since he came to stay with her, she'd been spoiling him, giving him all her love and attention. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that when he first arrived, it was in the middle of a terrifying storm and he'd been absolutely distraught. 

He hadn't had anywhere else to go but here, into Jane's comforting arms. The day he'd arrived, just a few weeks after the battle of New York and after Loki was taken back to Asgard, he'd knocked on Jane's door with a terrible storm at his heels and practically collapsed into her embrace. He'd stayed at her place ever since, going off to help the Avengers occasionally, but he mostly stayed with her. He helped her with work, as well as chores, though he was a little clueless as to how to properly clean things during the first few days, just to make up for the fact that he just suddenly decided to drop by. 

But even then, she still spoiled him, and it became routine to eat on the couch, leaning against each other, and just talk about anything that came to mind. 

"How's your work going?" Thor asked. 

"Well, a lot of people are a little more interested in the fact that I'm dating you than astronomy." She gave a playful pout, then grabbed a piece of paper and held it up excitedly. "On the bright side, I've been invited to visit that new Asgardian museum in Norway before it opens tomorrow...!" 

He smiled at her. "That's wonderful, Jane...!" 

She giggled and grabbed a folder sitting on the coffee table. "Though, they did want to know what this thing is. I tried figuring out what it was, but I don't recognize it." 

She handed him the photos and he curiously looked over them. They were all of the same small chest, just from different angles. It almost looked like it was made of obsidian, with red runes carved into it, as well as what looked to be illustrations of dark elves all holding their hands out towards some strange red stone. 

"I don't know what this is." Thor furrowed his brow. "It's written in Elvish. Perhaps Loki could translate it, he learned many languages in his spare time." 

He didn't even notice Loki's name slip from his mouth until he saw Jane's surprised face. When he finally realized it, he cleared his throat and quickly looked away. "I-I'm sorry, I... I shouldn't speak of him." 

Jane's hand gently rested on top of his. "Hey... you don't have to be ashamed of thinking about him." 

He glanced up at her sympathetic face as he put the pictures aside, then sighed heavily, and rubbed his face. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his brother out of his head. A year of mourning, another year of imprisonment, and he still haunted him like a vengeful ghost. Was it guilt that always brought him back?

"He's done many horrible things, Jane... Father says I shouldn't allow him into my thoughts..." 

She squeezed his hand, kissing his temple softly. "He's still your brother, Thor." 

"A brother that's done many horrible things." Thor retorted. "He's betrayed me, time and time again, tried to kill me multiple times, has practically spat in my face every time I tried to give him a chance...!" He could feel his frustration boiling over, making him clench his fists. "Everyone agrees I should just forget him, but I- I can't! He's left me feeling..." He stopped for a moment, wondering if he should admit it. But... Jane would be understanding. She always was. "...guilty." 

Jane furrowed her brow curiously. "Why does he make you feel guilty?" 

He shrugged cluelessly. "Probably some spell, knowing him..." he grumbled. 

Jane pursed her lips and leaned back on the sofa a bit, thinking to herself. "What was he like? As a kid?" she asked curiously. "Was he always so... evil?" 

"I mean... he stabbed me a few times." 

"No offense, but your culture kind of seems a little violent anyway, so that sounds like just another day." 

Thor opened his mouth to retort but quickly clamped it shut, remembering how he'd smashed a coffee cup just a few days into his banishment, attacked doctors, how his friends always roughed each other up. Hell, Sif had stabbed Fandral a few times...! "...okay, you might have a point." 

She chuckled softly. "But what I'm asking is, looking back, were there any signs that he was going to turn out this way? Like... did he ever hurt animals?" 

Thor couldn't help but snort. "Hurt animals? He adored them...! He constantly brought in injured animals to tend to before letting them go." 

Jane blinked. "Okay... That's... honestly surprising. Most psychopaths tend to hurt animals before hurting people." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Did he ever have, like, any girlfriends? Did he ever hurt them?" Jane continued her questioning. 

"No, of course not!" Thor was appalled, momentarily forgetting they were talking about _Loki_ , the war criminal that tried to take over New York. "He _adored_ Sigyn, he never lay a finger on her...!" 

Jane looked incredibly intrigued by the fact that Loki had actually courted someone in the past, even though Sigyn's name pained Thor's heart. "Sigyn? What happened to her?" 

"She, er... She passed away..." Thor said softly. "A few hundred years ago." 

"Oh." Jane frowned and squeezed his hand as if she could sense the pain that her memory brought him. 

"E-Er, anyway, why are you asking me all this?" Thor questioned. 

"Well... I'll be honest, I thought that your guilt was unwarranted, too." Jane admitted. "And I thought that by bringing up memories of moments that hinted that he was always like this would help you deal with it. But now..." 

"What?" Thor asked, seeing her thoughtful expression. 

She pursed her lips. "I'm starting to think there's more to this than I thought." 

Thor stared at her in surprise. "What do you mean?" 

"I'll explain in a minute. Can you tell me what your relationship was like, as kids?" 

Thor frowned as he looked back on his memories, trying to find some moment in time where there must've been a hint of any darkness growing within his brother.   
_"We were raised together...!"_ he remembered telling Loki that night on Midgard. _"We played together, we fought together...!"_

He could still recall the games they'd play together, the mischief they caused to terrorize the entire palace, the tricks they used to try and get sweets, though the most successful of those tricks was 'Get Help.' He remembered laughter and innocent hugs and late-night talks of what they wanted to do when they grew up. 

"No... We were friends..." he said slowly. "Close friends." Then he furrowed his brow. "But on Midgard, he said all he remembered was my shadow... 'Living in the shade of my greatness,' as he put it." 

Jane quickly perked, before taking a few moments to think. "So... he thought that he was in your shadow..." she hummed. "What was your dad like with him?" 

Thor blinked at her. "Er... he was good to him. He loved Loki." 

"Did he show it a lot?" Jane asked. 

"Er... well... Odin was always a little colder than Mother was." Thor admitted slowly. "He's a king, so... perhaps that's why. He did throw me feasts after my accomplishments, though, and if I did particularly well, he'd tell me that he was proud of me." 

"Did Loki get the same treatment?" 

Thor opened his mouth to reply that, of course, Loki had been given the same treatment, he was Odin's youngest son. But the protests died in his throat as he tried and failed to recall a feast thrown in Loki's honor that wasn't just his birthday, or a moment in time where Odin had told Loki he'd done a good job with a particularly difficult spell, or any sort of praise from Odin after his work on the battlefield. He had to admit, it was almost terrifying how perceptive Jane could be sometimes. 

Before he could reply, his head perked up, hearing Heimdall's voice in his head. _'My prince, your mother requests your presence. Loki's trial has come to a close.'_

Dread pooled in his stomach, but he didn't let it distract him as he took a breath and stood up. "Mother calls for me... Loki's sentence has been handed out." 

Jane seemed to want to continue the conversation but nodded a little. "Alright. I'll see you next month?" 

He smiled softly at her and pecked her lips. "I promise, love." Then he took one of the pictures on the coffee table, folding it up to safely tuck it into his armor. "And I'll ask Mother about this along the way." 

She smiled at him as a cute dusting of pink spread across her cheeks. "Thanks." 

With a quick hug goodbye, she went into her room to grab her suitcase as he headed outside, where the Bifrost opened up in her backyard and sent him home. 

"Welcome home, son." Frigga smiled as she greeted the eldest prince, opening her arms to hug him close. 

"Mother." he greeted, hugging her for a few moments before pulling back to acknowledge Heimdall with a nod. "What is the news?" 

Frigga took her son's arm and led him across the rainbow bridge to the carriage waiting for them, sighing heavily. "Your father has declared that Loki is to spend the rest of his life in a cell... and I am not permitted to visit him." 

Thor's eyes widened in surprise. "What?" he asked in disbelief. 

"It's part of Loki's punishment..." Frigga said with a sad smile. Even now, she was trying to be strong for her son. 

Thor frowned deeply, turning his head to look at the shining kingdom ahead of them. "...Do you ever regret sharing your magic with him?"

Thor wondered if he was the only one who harbored regrets over his brother's descent into madness. If he had not learned magic, where would he be now? Would he still be in a cell, never to be freed again? 

She smiled gently at him, waiting until they were sitting inside the carriage and riding through Asgard to answer him. "No. You and your father cast large shadows. I'd hoped by sharing my gifts with Loki, that he could find some sun for himself." 

Thor frowned, reflecting on what Jane had brought to his attention, Loki's words on earth. Is that what he really saw? His brother casting a shadow on him? Did he think that he didn't care...? 

"I want to see him." The words left his mouth before he could even think about it. Why did he want to see him? To get answers? To be rid of his guilt? 

His mother didn't look surprised. "Your father might not allow it." 

"He's my brother." Thor insisted. "Father will surely understand. And if he doesn't, I at least wish to see him one last time." 

She had to chuckle softly at him. "You're as protective of him as you were the day your father brought him home." 

Thor looked at her curiously. He didn't think he was being protective by wanting to see him, but his mother had a knowing smile on her face. 

Then she smiled wistfully, no doubt recalling the fond memories of Loki's first days on Asgard. "He was a small thing. Smaller than you'd been at birth. The poor thing was wailing his head off, hungry and lonely, constantly wanted to feel someone there with him. Odin feared you may get jealous. But when we introduced the both of you, you demanded that you hold him and feed him and spoke to him to assure him he was okay. You would crawl into his crib and sleep with him if he started fussing, or sometimes you'd simply take him out and bring him to your bed." Frigga laughed softly. "Oh, the first time that happened, we'd feared the worst, only to find you both sleeping soundly together. We don't even know how you managed it!" 

Thor had to laugh with her. He could just imagine the looks on his parents' faces when they discovered he could carry Loki out of his crib quite easily. "I wish it were like that again..." he admitted softly. Things were so much simpler back then... 

"So do I, love." Frigga said softly as they finally arrived at the palace. 

Thor took a deep breath and stood up, stepping out of the carriage and helping his mother out as well. "I'll speak with Father. Perhaps I can at least convince him to let us speak with Loki one last time." 

She smiled sadly at him but didn't try to stop him as he went into the palace to head to the throne room. 


	3. Disobedience

As Thor made his way through the palace towards the throne room, he found himself looking back on the memories these golden halls held within them. Two boys running from their nannies with armfuls of sweets, Loki chasing Thor down because he'd decided to snatch one of Loki's books, even the faint memories he had of their early childhood, walking hand in hand and rarely ever being apart. 

And now here he was, the brother of a traitor, going to ask their father to see him in the dungeons. He still questioned why he felt so determined to see Loki again. Well, he had a feeling he knew why, but... he was afraid of hoping... All of Jane's questions, all of the memories she brought to the forefront of his mind, made him wonder, was Loki always destined to be evil? Could that imply that he could be saved? 

His brain scolded him for even considering such a thing. Father would know if Loki was redeemable, he would work hard to bring Loki back, he would let Frigga and Thor see him and try to help him... But at the same time, he could feel his heart warring against itself. There was hope... and there was fear. 

Some part of him, no matter how foolish and naive, prayed that Loki could still be saved. And then the other part... was terrified that he was fighting a pointless battle. That whatever he and Loki had had once was gone. 

He quickly shook off those thoughts, brushing them off as silly as he finally arrived at the large doors that lead into the throne room. With a deep breath, he pushed them open and walked in, letting them close on their own behind him. "Father? May I speak with you?" 

His father looked up from speaking with his members of the council, his loyal ravens perched on his throne. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed his council members, all of whom gave Thor a short respectful bow before leaving. Once they were alone, Thor approached his seated father. 

"It's been a while since I've seen you, my boy." Odin said. "Spending time on earth, are you?" 

Thor smiled sheepishly. "I've been helping my new friends, the Avengers, in their battles against evil." he said, half-truthfully. 

"And spending time with that human girl, no doubt?" Odin guessed. 

Thor had to remind himself not to show any of the shyness he felt when Odin brought up Jane, but he nodded, knowing he shouldn't lie to his father. "Yes... I've been seeing her as well." 

Odin sighed and got up from his seat. "Come, Thor." 

Thor obediently followed his father out onto the balcony that looked over their proud kingdom, the sun gleaming off the golden spires and buildings. "I know what you will ask of me, but Father, I cannot help the way I feel about her." 

"She is mortal, Thor," Odin told him for, what, the millionth time? "Human lives are fleeting, they are nothing." 

Thor found himself clenching his fists at his father's words, just like he always did whenever Father talked about his loved ones in such a way. 

_"Honestly, Thor, you cannot let your emotions overrule your common sense."_ Loki had once scolded him after he'd gotten into a fight with some soldiers he'd been training with. He could remember Loki's furrowed brow as he carefully cleaned his brother's wounds. _"Sometimes you just need to let their words wash over you instead of giving them a reaction that will only escalate the situation."_

And with that piece of advice came the memory of Jotunheim, when Loki had tried so hard to pull Thor away, until one of the Giants insulted him and he immediately jumped into battle. A jab of guilt stung his heart, recalling what his father had told him, about how Loki had found out about his true parentage, and he had to force himself to shake it off and focus on the present. And for once, Thor found himself following his brother's advice, taking another deep breath before speaking again. 

"They are more than that, Father." he replied evenly, and some part of himself thought of how Loki would've been so proud of him, were he here now. "But that isn't what I came here to discuss." 

"You want to see Loki." It wasn't a question. 

Thor pursed his lips, but nodded. 

Odin looked at him with a sharp, icy blue eye. "I know you seek to find some good in him, but you must accept that he is no longer the boy you once knew. He had a chance to return into Asgard's loving embrace, now he must face the consequences of his actions." 

Thor winced at his words, and his brain was again scolding him for even bringing it up, but the emotional part won over. "But what if there is?" he asked before he could even think about how it implied that Odin might be wrong. "He was my friend once, he must have cared for us at least once in his life, if I could just speak to him--" 

Odin shook his head. "My answer is no, Thor. He is forbidden from seeing anyone other than the guards that watch over his cell and give him food. You must learn to move on and focus on the future, not the past. Settle down with some Asgardian woman, Sif perhaps, and then you will learn to heal." 

"But Father--" 

"My word is _final_." The bottom of Odin's staff clanged against the floor, the sound immediately silencing his son. "We will speak of this no more." 

Thor watched his father go back into the throne room, an ache in his chest. How could he move on when Loki had practically been his other half, his better half, their entire lives...? 

Defeated, he started to head back to his room, wondering what to do now. His father was wise, he knew, and Odin was almost always right, but... he didn't want to let Loki go... Not after a year of mourning, crying himself to sleep, and waking up after reliving his brother's fall, over and over again. 

Loki had always called him a sentimental oaf... He was certainly right about that. Why else would his mind continuously bring his brother back to the forefront, reminding him of everything they had and everything they lost? 

When he was finally able to shake out of his thoughts and back to reality, he found himself standing before a green-painted door, two coiled serpents carved into the wood. Thor's breath hitched as he realized his feet had taken him back to his brother's room. He hadn't come here ever since Heimdall told them Loki was still alive, and he certainly never returned when Loki was brought back in chains. It held too many memories, tainted by the present... 

But now that he was here, Thor couldn't help but slowly push the door open, the light of the hallway gently shining into the dark room, while barely any sunlight coming in through the closed curtains. 

_"Loki...?"_ he remembers his own quivering voice asking as he peered into the room. He had only been 9 years old at the time, and yet he could clearly recall the thunder rumbling just outside of the palace, the way he clutched his pillow in his arms like a lifeline. 

_"What do you want...?"_ Loki groaned as he rolled over, squinting at him in annoyance. 

_"I, um... I want to sleep with you tonight..."_ he sheepishly murmured. 

_"Why? Aren't you old enough to sleep on your own?"_ Loki sneered sarcastically at him, grabbing his blanket as if he were about to throw it over his head and just ignore him. 

_"I-I..."_ Thor hadn't been able to help the weak sob that escaped him, a sound that had Loki immediately sitting up in his bed. _"S-Sorry, I-I'm sorry, I won't bother you, I-I'll just..."_

_"Get in here you, big oaf."_ Loki interrupted him. _"And close the door, I can't stand the light."_

Thor was quick to obey, closing the door as his younger brother made room before he scurried over and slipped under the blankets. He felt Loki shift in order to face him, and Thor had buried his face against his pillow. 

_"Did you have a nightmare?"_ Loki asked, his voice gentle, instead of mocking or cynical like his tone often was now. Loki had only been 7 at the time, and yet, he held a scary amount of intelligence in his eyes. 

Thor weakly nodded, sniffling softly. _"M-Mother and Father, t-they were hurt... A-And a big monster took you, a-and you were calling for me, and I c-couldn't..."_

Loki gently hushed him and pushed his pillow away from his face, shifting closer and hugging his brother tightly. _"It was just a dream, Thor, I'm right here."_

Thor clung to his little brother just as he had clung to his pillow, crying weakly into his chest. Back then, he had always allowed himself to cry in Loki's presence, never fearing any judgment from the younger prince. Loki had always found a way to comfort him... When had that changed? 

_"I'll always be here, Thor."_ Loki assured him. _"No monster is going to take me away."_

_"No..."_ Thor agreed, looking up at his brother's barely illuminated face with teary blue eyes and a determined frown. _"No monster will take you, because I'm going to protect you and always be by your side, always."_

Even in the dark, Thor could see Loki's fond smile as he moved closer and kissed his brother's forehead to comfort him. _"I know. Silly oaf."_

Thor stood beside his brother's bed, gently resting a hand on the green and gold silk sheets that Loki had always favored. The room had remained untouched ever since Loki's fall, thanks to Mother forbidding anyone but family to come here. With a small spell of maintenance, the room had not seen a single speck of dust in years. 

"You promised you'd be here..." Thor scolded the air as if Loki were in the room as well. 

_"When I'm king, you can be my second in command."_ Thor had grinned at his brother as they lay in bed together, talking well into the night. _"Like another king! And we'll be the best rulers of Asgard!"_

_"Well, if I'm king, you can be my jester."_ Loki smirked back at him, even when Thor playfully shoved him off the bed, leaving them both laughing. 

So many memories... and he was just supposed to move on? After mourning for a year, waking up from nightmares of his brother's fall, again and again? 

_"We should call it 'Dead Fish!'"_ Thor had excitedly told his brother after their successful trick. 

_"No, that's stupid, you big oaf...!"_ Loki had laughed at his side, shoving a treat into his mouth. 

It couldn't have been a lie... He could remember clear as day the joy in Loki's eyes whenever he showed Thor a magic trick, the excitement on his face when he told Thor that Sigyn had agreed to court him, the way he cared for injured animals just because he could. And he remembered the hate that burned in Loki's eyes, the rage and madness that refused to let him in. It was like a completely different person had been looking back at him, an unhinged beast that wouldn't hesitate to eat him alive, so different compared to the little boy that promised he would always be there for his brother. 

But he hadn't been destined for evil. Thor knew that. Because a person born evil wouldn't care about Sigyn, wouldn't care about injured animals or wanting to help people. His brother had to be in there somewhere... 

_"It's too late..."_ Another memory suddenly flashed before his eyes. 

They were fighting, on Stark's tower, their weapons, locked against each other's. And Loki, as he looked around at all the destruction, looked... scared. Horrified, even. 

_"It's too late to stop it..."_

_"No, we can, together."_

And then Loki looked back at him. And... there he was. For a moment, just a moment... he was looking at his baby brother. The little brother he'd grown up right alongside, the mischievous boy who played tricks on the staff and came to him during the night whenever nightmares plagued his mind. It had been so brief, Thor could barely register it before he was stabbed in the side and pushed away. 

_"Sentiment..."_ Loki was smiling, deranged, evil... and a tear was running down his cheek. 

The memory made him freeze, eyes growing wide with realization. He hadn't looked back at that moment until now, the memories of their battle always stinging his heart. But now that he had... he realized what he'd missed in the heat of battle. 

That's what drove him to stand up and leave the bedroom, his pace quick and determined. His brain screamed at him that he was being stupid, but his heart had latched onto that little string and refused to let go. If there was a chance, no matter how small, that the Loki he knew was still in there, he wouldn't abandon him, not after he'd promised to take care of him, to protect him and be at his side. If there was a chance, he'd take it. 

And as he stepped into the dungeons, he asked one of the guards, "Where is Loki being held?" 


	4. Reminiscence

Loki had been in the middle of tossing a cup up and down, replaying all his memories in his head, before the sounds of heavy footsteps alerted him to someone's presence. He caught his cup as he listened, brow furrowing in confusion. They didn't sound like they were wearing the armor the guards were, which were quite noisy. At first, he thought maybe it was someone coming to see another resident of solitary confinement. But as far as Loki knew, he was the only one here. 

"I hope you know that this is the way to Loki's cell, not whatever depraved soul you may be looking for." Loki called out as he went back to tossing his empty cup up and down. "And I quite like my privacy." 

The footsteps stopped close to his cell and he curiously looked over, only to do a double-take when he saw Thor standing there. He was so shocked, he couldn't catch the cup he'd tossed, letting it clatter to the floor as the two stared at each other. 

Loki was the first to break the silence, standing up to stalk towards the barrier that separated them with his arms folded behind his back. "After all this time, and now you come to visit me." 

Despite his calm posture, he was still reeling at the fact that Thor was here. Why? Why was he here? Fa-- _Odin_ had surely set the same rules on Thor as he had for Frigga, to force him to 'reflect' on his actions. Which, sure, he was doing, but he wasn't going to credit Odin for that. 

Thor was still staring at him, searching his eyes, so it seemed. Loki didn't know what to make of it. It... actually made him uncomfortable, how Thor suddenly seemed to be trying to look for something, as if trying to search for vulnerability in the walls he'd put up. He wasn't used to his brother actively trying to figure someone out, much less doing it to Loki. 

"Have you come to gloat?" Loki continued, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of him. "To mock?" 

"Brother..." 

The way he said the word startled Loki. He whispered it like it were the most precious thing in the world, like it still held meaning, despite all that happened between them. 

"Still calling me that, are you?" Loki asked with a wry smile. 

His comment made Thor frown at him. "You seem eager that I shouldn't." 

He looked like a hurt puppy with that expression on his face. Loki hated that his expression actually made him feel something, and he quickly went back to sarcasm in hopes of driving the idiot away, ignoring the little voice that asked him why he was so desperate to make him leave when he hadn't stopped thinking about him since the trial. 

"Apologies for not inviting you in, but as you can see, I'm not exactly ready to receive guests." Loki waved his hand to motion to the rest of his cell. "Perhaps you should try again within the next four thousand years." 

"Loki..." Thor scolded softly, coming closer to the magic cell wall. 

Loki just chuckled mirthlessly at him and scolded him right back. "You should've expected cynicism from me, we were raised together." 

"Expected? Yes..." Thor smiled weakly at him. "Hoped for...?" 

Loki blinked at him, completely taken aback. He didn't like how his heart felt like it was out in the open, with Thor still searching his face, especially when he was momentarily startled into vulnerability. Thor was a bad liar, always had been, so having him admit that he hoped for something more... Why did it make him care that he'd disappoint him? 

"You should know by now that it isn't wise to have any hope in me." 

Thor just smiled lightly as he sat down against the magical wall. "Who said I was wise?" he repeated Loki's own words from what felt like a lifetime ago. 

Loki watched him for a few moments before he slid down the wall where his brother sat, sitting down and resting his elbow over one of his knees. 

"...We've grown..." Thor said after a few moments of silence. 

"So we have." Loki hummed softly. After another few moments of silence, he asked, "Why did you come here? Did Mother ask you to see me?" 

"She probably wanted me to, but... I came here on my own." Thor took a breath and looked back at him. "I was speaking with her, and... she helped me make up my mind about something." 

Loki raised a curious eyebrow. "Enlighten me." 

"I want to..." Thor paused for a moment, and Loki watched as he tried to figure out his words. Loki could read Thor like a book, he knew he was about to make an excuse. "I want to keep our family together." 

That was a horrible excuse. It made Loki roll his eyes and look away, not only because of how obvious an excuse it was but also because of how stupid it was. 

"I'm not part of your family. I'm a Jotun, son of a tyrant and a monster, quite literally fallen from grace." He folded his arms across his knees and clutched his arms tightly as he looked away, recalling Odin's words. "My birthright was to die in that wasteland." 

Glancing back, he saw Thor's face fall in shock at his harsh words, before his face twisted incredulously as if he were offended by every single word that came out of Loki's mouth. "Who told you that? Surely you didn't come up with that nonsense yourself." 

At first, Loki was honestly stunned that Thor realized the words weren't his own. But at his question, Loki couldn't help but burst into laughter, leaning his head back and holding his forehead at the irony. "Ohhh, brother, if I told you, you'd say I was lying." 

There was silence behind him and when he glanced back, he saw a serious expression on his brother's face. "Tell me." 

Loki stopped laughing and stared at him, surprised at both the fact that he looked like he was ready to fight whoever told him such things, he was just waiting for a name. Oh, the irony. He braced himself to be yelled at for being a liar and prepared to watch Thor storm out before he broke the tense silence. 

"...Your father said that to me, on the day of my trial." Loki said after a tense moment of silence. 

His brother's angry expression immediately fell, the color draining from his face. "He...?" 

Loki turned away from him, trying to pretend that Odin's words meant nothing to him. He knew Thor wouldn't believe him, and he found himself hugging his knees close to his chest. 

"I'm not his son..." he said after another very long moment of silence, looking down at his left hand, the same one that the beast of Jotunheim had grabbed and turned an ugly shade of blue. "...I was never his son..." 

"...You were always my brother." Thor told him softly, and Loki could hear the sincerity in his voice. Thor was just full of surprises today, wasn't he? 

Loki had to snort a bit, looking back at his brother. "I stabbed you when we were 8." he reminded him. 

"And I threw you into the cooks." 

"You're a stubborn bull." Loki chuckled genuinely for the first time in... a while. "Always were. Especially when it came to that cape of yours. I'm genuinely shocked you never tripped on it during battle." 

That made Thor laugh softly, and Loki perked at the sound as it brought back pleasant memories of jokes and games they played together. "Honestly? So am I...!" 

Loki smiled lightly and shifted so his side was pressed against the wall instead of his back, so he could actually look up at his brother. "Why did you want your cape to be so long?" 

"The Valkyries were always painted with long capes." Thor explained with that goofy smile that he always got when talking about Valkyries. 

Loki snorted. "Of course. How could I forget your obsession with Valkyries?" 

"Hey, you had the same obsession...!" 

"I had an interest, I never actually wanted to be one." 

"No, you wanted to be like Mother and the witches she was raised by." Thor teased lightly. 

"They are a respectable lot and have very powerful magic." Loki protested. 

For just a moment, Loki could almost forget he was sitting in a cell with his brother on the outside. It felt like they were kids again, sitting together and teasing each other without a care in the world. It felt so natural, so easy to slip back into their old banter. 

And then Thor told him, "I always thought you were the most powerful." 

Loki was certain his face flushed and he had to look away to regain his composure. Was that the first time Thor had complimented his magic? He was really surprised, and... flattered. It felt like old times, but... almost better, just by that compliment alone. And Thor seemed to realize how much it meant to him if his stupid smile was anything to go by. 

So Loki steered the conversation away. "How's the mortal girl you like so much?" 

As expected, Thor was taken off-guard and his face flushed with pink at his question. "E-Er, well..." 

Loki couldn't help it and burst out laughing. "Oh gods, you have it _bad_ , don't you? Even Lady Sif didn't make you blush this much if I recall correctly...!" 

Thor groaned dramatically. "You have no room to talk, especially when you had _Sigyn_." 

The name put an immediate stop to Loki's laughter and the two sat in very uncomfortable silence for what seemed like minutes. Thor looked horrified and apologetic, but couldn't seem to be able to open his mouth to say so, perhaps fearing he may make things worse. 

Sigyn. That name rang familiar, like an old scar suddenly scratched. He furrowed his brow, trying to remember what she looked like, but... all he could remember was happiness... and that it had been cruelly robbed from his side. 

"Mortals... live short lives, brother." Loki spoke up. "It isn't wise to be so close." 

Thor looked surprised at the fact that Loki was warning him about being so close to the humans, probably because most would think Loki simply wouldn't care, but just frowned at him."Yes, I'm aware of how fast they pass... but the Midgardians have been the best friends I've ever known." 

"It's a heartbeat, Thor. You'll never be ready." Loki told him gravely, his face darkening as he tried and failed to recall the beautiful face that had somehow been snatched from him. "She'll be snatched from you, and you'll be helpless." 

Another uncomfortable moment of silence. 

"And will that satisfy you...?" Thor softly asked. 

Loki knew why. After so much hurt and betrayal, most would assume that Loki would love to see his brother helpless and weeping over his beloved while he laughs at Thor's weakness and his stupidity for becoming so close to such weak creatures. Anyone would think that Loki would want Thor to suffer as much as he had. 

"...Satisfaction's not in my nature." was Loki's answer, short and dismissive. 

Thor, however, just smiled softly at his brother, as if he could somehow tell there was more to that answer than what he heard. "Surrender's not in mine." 

Loki watched his brother for a moment before chuckling softly, resting his head against the wall, with Thor resting his head on the other side. "Silly oaf." 

Perhaps things would never be the same... Perhaps they wouldn't run down the ancient halls, or steal sweets or pull tricks on their friends, but for now... this was enough. 

"Tell me about her. The human girl." 


	5. Dreams and Nightmares

_"Hurry, before they notice...!"_ Loki was running through the palace, holding someone's slightly smaller hand behind him. There were sounds of a party going on in the Great Hall, but he couldn't care less. 

_"Loki, slow down...!"_ There was a young woman's laughter behind him, a sound that made his heart race. _"Where are we even going?"_

 _"You'll see."_ Loki smiled brightly as they went down the stairs and out to the usually guarded skiff-yard, but _coincidentally_ , the guards just so happened to be asleep. 

_"Loki, we're not going to steal a skiff, are we?"_

_"Nooooo, what do you take me for?"_ Loki smirked playfully as he climbed onto one of the skiffs, reaching out a hand to help her aboard. _"We're merely borrowing it, my dear Sig."_

In the dim light, he couldn't quite see her face, but he could tell she was smiling as she climbed on and he started the skiff before racing off, both of them laughing together. He saw her lay back against the side of the skiff with a content sigh, her once neatly-made hair now loose and flying in the wind. 

_"Thanks for getting me out of there. Those parties are so stuffy."_ she giggled at him. 

_"Oh, I know, and especially annoying when they're in celebration of Thor."_ Loki rolled his eyes in annoyance, slowly the skiff down as they drew close to their destination. 

She frowned at him. _"Loki..."_ she scolded him. 

_"I know, I know, I should be happy for him."_ He huffed, looking off. _"But he doesn't even deserve most of the things he's being praised for. Oh, yes, spoil the idiot that ran headfirst into battle, endangering the lives of his fellow Aesir! Just ignore his brother, who actually tried to keep citizens and the injured from being caught in the fray! But of course, no one cared what I do, just what Thor does!"_ He gripped the skiff's steering tightly. _"But it makes sense. He's more talented than me, he's stronger than me... why shouldn't they love him more?"_

He felt her hand rest atop of his as she spoke again. _"Do you believe I love Thor more than you?"_

The question made him blush and he slowly shook his head. _"No..."_

_"Do you think Frigga loves him more than you?"_

Again, he shook his head. Looking back at her, she gave him a soft smile and kissed his cheek. 

_"Even if people don't like you as much as Thor... you'll always have us."_

He chuckled at her. _"How did I get so lucky with you?"_

 _"You charmed me!"_ she giggled, making his chest feel warm and all his doubts fade into the background. _"Now, where exactly are we headed?"_

 _"Patience, Songbird."_ He slowed the skiff to a stop in the middle of a grassy field and hopped off, helping the Vanaheim woman down as well. _"Close your eyes."_

Sig raised an eyebrow but did as he said. With a grin, he threw his hand up into the air, his magic sweeping across the grass to invite the fireflies to come out and play. 

_"Oh, my gods...!"_ Sig gasped in awe when he bid her open her eyes, eyes shining as fireflies lit up the night all around them. _"It's so beautiful..."_

Loki, however, was much too entranced with Sigyn to pay any attention to the fireflies. _"Not as beautiful as you..."_ In the light of the lightning bugs, as Thor liked to call them, he could finally see her beautiful face. A cute button nose, freckles sprinkled across her cheeks like mini constellations, long golden hair like rays of sunlight, and the most gorgeous blue eyes he'd ever seen. 

She blushed softly at his words but smiled as they both sat down in the grass, watching as the fireflies seemed to dance all around them. She leaned her head against his shoulder and he rested his head against hers with a content smile. He didn't need a throne... all he ever wanted was right beside him... 

_"Hey, Sig?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"Thank you..."_

_"Always, my Lie-Smith."_

He felt himself smile, watching her softly. What he wouldn't give to always see that beautiful smile of hers... 

And then he felt the pain. Darkness overtook everything, and she was gone. He couldn't breathe. The floor was cold beneath him, but his skin was burning with heat, his stomach felt empty and his back stung. Already, the memory of her smile was fading and he was desperately trying to cling to it. 

_**"You've fought bravely, little one. But you needn't fight anymore..."** _

He felt hands grabbing his arms and pulling him up, and he didn't fight. A golden scepter with a glowing blue stone came towards him, pressing against his chest. He tried to move back with what little fight he had left, feeling tendrils of magic seeping into his mind, clouding his thoughts, and tearing away any precious memories he had left. 

**_"They abandoned you... left you for dead... Accept that, and you will know peace."_ **

The fight in him didn't last long. He was exhausted and in pain... He just wanted it all to stop... 

_**"There will be no more pain. On Asgard, you are no one... here, you are a King, burdened with glorious purpose. And those who stand in your way will burn."** _

Loki gasped awake and shot up from where he lay on his cot, panting as he looked around in alarm. It took him a good minute to calm down, feeling like he was moments away from hyperventilating. W-What was _that_? Was that a memory? But... he didn't recall...? 

Very slowly, his fingers traced over his sleeved wrist. 

...Oh. 

He shivered, clenching his wrist protectively against his chest as he thought back on his dream. It was slowly coming back... He didn't want them to come back, had forgotten for a reason, he didn't want to see them again, but the flames, the screams, the voice... 

Desperate to take his mind off what he didn't want to remember, he tried to focus on something else. Thankfully, it managed to take his mind away from his memories, his fear giving way to confusion. He was leaning against the cell of his wall with a blanket draped over his body. Where in the world had he gotten this from? He and Thor had been talking last night... maybe he'd levitated it onto his body at some point? But this wasn't the itchy blanket he'd been given when he'd first been thrown into the cell. It was soft and colored green and gold. Looking around, he also noticed that his bare cell wasn't so bare anymore. There was a nightstand with several books and a comfortable-looking chair. There was even a bowl of his favorite fruits sitting on the floor beside him. 

Looking through the magical barrier, he found his brother still asleep, snoring softly with his own blanket draped over him. He had his own bowl of fruit sitting by his side. 

_**'They left you for dead...'** _

Loki shivered at the memory of the chilling voice, swallowing nervously before taking a deep breath. Thor could provide a distraction, so he nudged Thor through the barrier. 

"Brother, wake up." 

Thor groaned, clearly wanting to sleep more, but since his position probably wasn't too comfortable, he yawned and slowly stretched his arms. "Mm... what time is it?" 

"How should I know? I'm locked in a cell." The words came out more bitterly than he intended, and he found that looking at Thor made hatred begin to well up in his chest. But unlike New York, where he'd embraced that hatred, now it just felt... wrong... He tried to shake it off and grabbed the bowl of fruits left on the floor next to him. Gods, it had been a while since he had any proper food. 

Thor rubbed his eye and blinked, noticing the blankets and Loki's newly furnished cell, before chuckling as he picked up his own bowl. "Mother will never cease to amaze me." 

Loki ignored the way his heart grew warm at the realization that his mother had given him all this. He just focused on eating with his brother, the two sitting in comfortable silence for a little while. Well, Thor probably thought it was comfortable. 

"How did you sleep?" Thor eventually asked. 

"...Alright, I suppose." Loki shrugged casually after a moment of pause, focusing on his breakfast. 

He noticed Thor looking at him strangely. He must have noticed Loki's brief hesitation. When did Thor get so observant? 

"I had a dream about Sigyn." It wasn't entirely a lie. 

Thor smiled weakly at him as if he now understood why he hesitated. "I see..." 

Loki pressed his lips together, trying his best to remember Sigyn's face, but... it was difficult, as if he was trying to look through a fog. He knew what she looked like, remembered her cute freckles and bright blue eyes, but... he couldn't quite see it in his mind's eye. "Can you... tell me about her?" 

Thor blinked at him. "Huh? Why?" 

Loki didn't answer him for a moment. "I... can't remember her very well." 

Thor seemed surprised, gawking at him. "You courted her for years, and you can't remember her?" 

"...a lot happened after I... fell..." Loki looked away, rubbing his wrist over his long sleeves. "Just... tell me what you remember about her." 

Thor frowned, clearly wanting to question why he couldn't remember, but for once, didn't push the matter. "Well... we met her when I was 12 and you were 11. She was a noble from Vanaheim, with a unique type of magic, so she came to train with you and mother. I'm fairly certain you had a crush on her from the very start." 

Loki hoped to the Norns that he wasn't blushing, shifting so he had his back against the wall to hide his face, just in case. 

"She was with us for many, many years. You started courting when you were around 15, but even before then, you spent a lot of time together." 

"What was she like?" Loki asked. 

"She was very kind, very sweet, basically your opposite." Thor smiled sadly. "You always called her Songbird, since she liked to sing. You once told me that you never once told her a lie." 

Loki blinked, honestly surprised. He... never told Sigyn a lie? Surely that was an exaggeration. And yet... it sounded correct. 

"Once, she and Sif got into an argument about something, and she came to you upset, so you decided to cut off Sif's hair in retaliation." Thor had to laugh at the memory, and Loki found himself smirking. "She was so mad, she was swinging her sword at you for hours while Sigyn and I laughed...!" 

Loki chuckled, imagining what it must've looked like to everyone else. 

"You were very happy with her..." Thor's weak smile returned. "You gave her a bracelet, a silver one that looked like a coiled serpent... I never saw her take it off." 

Loki leaned his head back against the wall, frowning. The memories were slowly coming back, but... they were clouded with sadness. "What happened to her?" 

Thor was quiet for a very long moment. "You... don't remember...?" At Loki's shaking head, he said, "I'm... not sure it would be a good idea to recall it, brother... It may hurt you..." 

"I've dealt with more pain than you could imagine, just tell me." Loki snapped, growing impatient. 

Another long moment of silence.

"You both snuck out of the palace one night, during a celebration... You went out into the fields together, and we didn't even realize until we heard you both screaming... Some... jackal-headed beast with hooves was chasing you and destroyed the skiff just as you made it into the gardens, cornering you both." 

Loki's breath hitched as Thor described the beast that hunted the pair down, brief memories of snarling teeth and clomping hooves and glowing red eyes flashing through his mind. 

"We just barely heard you over the party and we raced out to see what was happening, but by the time we arrived... Sigyn was gone. There was no trace of her, except for the bracelet you gave her..." 

Screaming... She was screaming, reaching out for him, he was holding onto her arm... 

"You were... just sitting there as if in shock, you didn't even try to defend yourself when the beast tried to attack you." Thor's voice grew thick with emotion as if the memories were just as painful for him. "I struck at it with lightning and it vanished, but... we could never find Sigyn..." 

_"It's a heartbeat... you'll never be ready..."_ he remembered the words that had slipped from his mouth unwittingly the night before. _"She'll be snatched from you, and you'll be helpless."_

He remembered the feeling of helplessness, the tears in her beautiful eyes as she cried out his name in desperation, her hand slipping through his fingers... 

"Loki? Loki, are you alright?" his brother asked in concern, snapping Loki out of his daze. 

"I-I'm fine." Loki cleared his throat, wiping at his eyes and taking a breath. "...thank you. For telling me." 

Thor frowned but slowly nodded. 

"What happened to the bracelet?" Loki asked after a few moments of silence. 

"A few days after her funeral, you placed it on a dead rosebush Sigyn used to care for." Thor told him. "As a sort of memorial." 

"...can you bring it to me?" Loki asked softly. 

"Of course." Thor assured him gently, giving him a soft smile. 

Loki hated how genuine that smile was. It hurt and it made him feel more vulnerable than he already was. "You'd better go before Heimdall sees you're here and tells Odin." 

"Aye, you're right." Thor chuckled and folded up the blanket that covered him. "Oh, brother, before I forget, can you take a look at this?" Thor held up a picture against the magical wall that separated them. "A museum on earth found this, but I don't know what the runes say. Jane asked me to look into it since she's going to that museum today." 

Loki squinted at the picture curiously. It was some kind of chest with Elvish runes and a red stone in the center. Red stone... 

A flash of pain went through his head and he grabbed his forehead with a hiss. 

"Brother?" Thor asked, brow pinched in concern. 

"I'm fine, it's nothing." Loki took a breath and looked back at the picture when the pain faded a few moments later. Looking over the runes, he read it out loud. "'Ancient stone of blood-red, take root in the heart of a pure soul, defend our land from the light.'" Another flash of pain went through his head and the color drained from his face as he stared at the stone. "Is that thing in the museum?" 

"I believe so, why?" 

"You need to get Jane away from this thing." 

"What, why??" Thor asked, his face twisting in concern and confusion. 

"That is no ordinary stone." 


	6. Reality Shifts

"Miss Foster, how wonderful of you to join us!" a tall woman greeted her as she stepped out of the taxi that brought her to the museum, her blond hair pulled back into a bun with her glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose. "My name is Helen Eve, I'm the curator. Come along, dear, we have a lot to show you."

Jane excitedly followed, grinning from ear to ear, though she sheepishly shrugged her jacket up higher, realizing that the curator was dressed much fancier than she was. "Thank you so much for inviting me. Sorry that Thor couldn't be here, he really wanted to, but he's got stuff to do on Asgard." 

"Oh, yes, I'm sure he's very busy." she chuckled as she led Jane through multiple exhibits. "Everyone's been quite busy ever since the incident in New York, but we're happy to welcome you anyway." 

Jane curiously looked around, spotting an old carving of some kind of ship with the name Skidbladnir printed onto the plaque below it. "How'd you get the funding for this? People only found out about Thor as recently as New York, how'd you dig all this up so quickly?" 

"Courtesy of Stark Industries." Helen replied. "I believe he said something about how nice it would be to see museums of the Avengers popping up." 

"Sounds about right." Jane chuckled and kept looking around, beaming at everything she passed by."This is amazing. Gods, it's like I'm learning even more about Thor...! I wish he was here, I'm sure he'd have loved it."

"'Gods'?" Helen chuckled.

Jane blushed softly. "Ah, it's something Thor says. It rubbed off on me, and it fits, cause, y'know, Norse gods." 

Helen snickered, amusement on her face. "He sounds quite literal. What is he like? If you don't mind me asking." 

"Well, he's pretty tough, but he can also be really sweet." Jane smiled and fiddled with her hair a bit as she looked around at all the relics left behind by the Asgardians. "He just has trouble expressing himself, but we're working on it." 

Helen hummed. "How did you two meet?" 

Jane laughed sheepishly and rubbed the side of her neck. "I... kind of hit him with my car by accident." 

"And now you intend on getting married?" 

Jane nearly choked on her own breath, stuttering, "W-What?? No, no, no, we haven't- I mean-" 

"It's just that Thor _is_ a prince of Asgard, he must be obligated to marry someone to be his queen." Helen explained. "He must have children to take the throne after him." 

Jane opened and closed her mouth, trying to articulate an answer, but she couldn't get anything out. Her face was hot with embarrassment, but she just tried to calm herself down. "Yeah, well... we never talked about marriage or kids, but... I'm lucky to have him." 

"Anyone would be." Helen replied with a smile on her face. "Most women are pretty envious of you." 

Jane's face burned and she fiddled with her fingers. "Really?" 

"Oh, yes. I'm sure even some Asgardian women are envious. After all, from what I understand, Midgard is one of the lowest Realms compared to Asgard. I'm sure it's quite the scandal back home." she said in amusement. 

Jane couldn't help but be a little frustrated at how this random woman just decided to comment on something that wasn't her business, but... it wasn't like she was wrong. Most princes didn't go around, dating people much lower than them... She just tried to move on from it, more interested in what she'd seen earlier. 

"By the way, where's that chest thing you took pictures of?" she asked, eager to not embarrass herself anymore and wanting to actually see the thing in person.

"Ah, right this way." Helen led her to another, smaller room in the museum. 

In the very center of the room was the strange chest with red runes all over it, sitting on a pedestal with no glass case.

"Where did you find this?" Jane asked as they approached. 

"Some tourists found it in the stone of Trolltunga." she explained. "Some archeologists I hired dug it out. They said it must have been there for at least a thousand years."

Faintly, Jane could hear something similar to hissing coming from inside the chest. "Have you opened it?" she asked.

"No, we haven't been able to." the curator replied. "Even though it looks like a chest, there's no keyhole or anything, and we can't even drill the thing."

"Can I pick it up?" Jane asked.

With the curator's nod of approval, Jane stepped closer and picked up the obsidian box. It was smooth and surprisingly light in her hands, about as big as a music box. She traced her fingers over the runes and found that she could hear the sounds a little clearer now... It almost sounded like... whispering. She could hear it in her mind, but it wasn't quite _talking_. It was more like... she was just able to understand what it wanted to communicate. 

_Pretty... pretty girl... nice girl..._

_Jane, lovely Jane..._

_Set me free..._

"Do you hear that??" Jane asked, looking over at the curator.

The woman just gave her a look of confusion. "I don't hear anything."

Jane looked back down at the chest, noticing that the little red stone was glowing soft red.

_Set me free..._

She slowly traced her thumb over the glowing stone, before pressing it.

There was an explosion of red all around her, a cacophony of voices near-deafening her. She covered her ears, her own scream barely audible as she felt something seep into her skin, slipping into her throat, into her veins, into her eyes. Then she saw multiple images flash through her mind.

A man with a pale face and sharp ears was standing by a large window overlooking some dystopian-looking city, his eyes closed and his head slightly tilted back, like he was thinking deeply about something. Then, his purple eyes snapped open, and he turned his head towards the east. In a flash, she saw more of them on some sort of ship, building, and smithing, before they too froze and looked in the same direction as the man had.

In another flash, she saw an old man with a single, cold eye sitting on a golden throne, listening to what looked to be advisors around him, when they too, froze and their heads snapped towards the windows, in the exact same direction.

Everything suddenly went white, and she felt like she was floating in space. For a moment, she was terrified, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what was going on. But a strange, yet comforting warmth seemed to embrace her.

_Safe Jane, warm Jane..._

_You're safe..._

_I am safe with you..._

Slowly, the white faded from her eyes and she found herself lying on the hard floor of the museum, a hole in the ceiling revealing a suddenly grey sky. Groaning, she slowly pushed herself up with her elbows, spotting the curator standing nearby, her mouth agape and somehow completely unharmed.

"Wha... what happened?" Jane asked, feeling like her mouth was stuffed with cotton and like her head was spinning.

"You... absorbed it..." Helen mumbled in awe.

"What...?"

"For centuries, I've never been able to open that chest, and now, some mortal girl who happens to fancy Odin's son absorbs it!" Helen laughed in disbelief. 

Jane blinked in confusion before she was suddenly lifted up into the air by yellow-green magic with a startled yelp. She quickly started to wiggle, and a red aura surrounded her, trying to push the magic away. 

"Let- let go!" Jane kicked her feet, trying her best to escape the woman's magical grip. "Who- who even are you??"

The curator smirked, taking off her glasses and tossing them away, letting her hair fall freely over her shoulders. "My name's Amora." 


	7. Awoken

Ships flew along in the polluted sky above a small city made of metal, moving the clouds just enough to let in a little light from Svartlheim's three moons. Every building was huddled close together, with the tall, ornate and bleak palace looming above them all in the very center. The last of the scavenging, mutated beasts at the edge of the city was taken care of by the soldiers, and their torches turned white, to signal another safe night. 

King Malekith stood in front of one of the large windows in his palace of metal and magic, arms folded behind him as he watched his kingdom. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes, vaguely recalling a time when his people didn't need to worry about eating day to day, about scavenging beasts breaking into their homes, just as starved as his people. It had been so long since those days, so long since his kind danced beneath the billions of stars that shone in the clear night sky, so long since children could dance and sing in fields of beautiful plants, that it seemed more like a dream than a memory. 

And then, a wave of energy shook Svartlheim to its very core, making Malekith's eyes snap open. 

Within minutes, one of his highest generals ran into the throne room, not even bothering to knock or ask permission to speak. "King Malekith! We all felt it, everyone, even those on the ships reported it...!" 

"Ready the ships, General Calder, track that aura, and do not lose it!" Malekith ordered, sending his general racing to the control room to contact the warships. 

Malekith nearly ran through the palace towards his private chambers, clawed hands clenched into fists as his mind wandered. It had been so long since he'd felt that aura, and yet it called to him like the voice of an old friend. And for the first time in a long time, he felt hope bloom in his chest like a moonlight rose. Finally, after all these years... 

Pressing a hand against the scanner on the wall, the door opened and he stepped in, finding his wife sitting up in bed. 

"Malekith? Was that what I think it was?" his queen asked, worried lines etched into her dark face, her long silver hair still in a thick braid. 

"I believe so." Malekith approached her, kneeling in front of her and placing his hand on her knee. "There's hope yet, my moonbeam...! We can find it, we can bring our realm back to its former glory." 

His wife only frowned at him. "The Aesir will retaliate, my love." 

"We are strong, Dagmar, stronger than we have ever been since Odin and his pack of wolves descended on our dark land." Malekith scowled, looking away. 

Before Dagmar could answer, the door to their room slid open, and his beautiful little girl scurried inside. 

"Father, I felt something weird..." Alvilda said nervously. She must have just come inside from playing with the other dark elf children within the city, from how messy her hair was. 

He opened his arm to her and she eagerly moved close, hugging him tightly. "My little star, you have nothing to fear. We all felt it. That is our salvation." 

She looked up at him, confusion in her purple eyes, and it almost felt like he was looking into a mirror of himself. "Salvation?" 

Dagmar frowned as Malekith looked at her for her permission, but after a moment, she nodded. 

He scooped the girl up into his arms, carrying her to the large window in their room. "Remember the stories I've told you? About trees as tall as giants reached for the stars, and the beasts of all shapes and sizes roaming the land?" 

His little girl's eyes shone as she quickly nodded, holding onto his tunic. 

"That was what out realm used to look like. When we were happy. For generations, our family possessed a beautiful red stone. It protected us, gave us the power to build villages, towns, cities...! We were a powerful nation." 

"But what happened?" Alvilda frowned, clearly confused as to why such a beautiful nation had been reduced to a wasteland. 

Malekith darkened. "One day, Odin decided he wanted more power. He wanted more realms, wanted all the gold he could get his hands on to build his own kingdom. A kingdom of corruption and tyranny." He scowled, staring at the barren wasteland and the polluted air outside of their ship. "Odin stole the Stone... and he stole your Uncle Asmund." 

His daughter matched his scowl. "I don't like Odin. He made everything go away!" 

"Yes, he did. But now, the Stone has awoken again." He walked back to his wife, setting his daughter down on the edge of their bed. "When I get it back, we can remake Svartlheim, we can fight Odin and defeat him once and for all." 

"And then I'll get to see the trees and flowers?" his daughter asked with a hopeful smile. 

He chuckled at her and ruffled her hair. "Yes, you'll see all the trees and flowers, and you'll have the Stone to help and protect you when you are Queen. And perhaps, if the Norns allow, you'll even get to meet Uncle Asmund." 

"Yay!" She clapped her hands excitedly. 

"This is a dangerous game you're playing, Malekith." Dagmar frowned. "If Odin's seer, Heimdall, were to hear you speak this way..." 

"We cannot hide in these polluted wastelands anymore, Dagmar." he said firmly. "We have a chance to make our realm safe again, to make sure the Aesir will never hurt anyone else again." 

Dagmar looked pained and looked away, hugging her daughter close. "It's a risk, Malekith... I do not want our daughter to grow up without her father." 

His angry expression softened and he reached over to brush her cheek softly. "The risk is worth it if we can bring our world back to life." 

She leaned into his hand, kissing his palm softly. "Just be careful..." 

"I will." He kissed her forehead. "I must prepare the warships." 

"I wanna go with you!" Alvilda said. 

"No, you must stay." He ruffled her hair, making her giggle. "As future Queen, I need you to make sure everyone is safe, alright?" 

She giggled and nodded, her face set with determination, trying to copy her father. "Yes, sir!" 

With a tender kiss on the forehead, he left the highly technological tower his family lived in and climbed aboard one of the skiffs in the courtyard, using it to speed through the city towards the long-abandoned temple about two miles from the main city. As he sped through the city, being careful to slow down when his people passed him by, he was once again faced with the reality his people faced. Children playing in the streets wore masks, to slowly get them used to the polluted air all around them until they were older. Some plants still grew, thanks to the technology they had developed, but they were nowhere as beautiful as the natural plants that once grew. And when he finally left the city, he caught glimpses of what little beasts were left on Svartlheim, fighting for scraps of food and even eating ugly, mutated plants just to survive. 

He slowed down as he finally arrived at the tall, half-ruined temple, it's pillars reaching high up towards the sky, though its ceiling had long since fallen away, its pieces scattered throughout the inside. His footsteps echoed off the stone walls, memories playing out right before his eyes. 

_"I think you'll be a wonderful king."_ Asmund had told him as they walked through the temple together. _"Because I'll be your advisor and keep your heart from becoming corrupted."_

Malekith had chuckled at his little brother. _"You're taking Father's words a little too literally, little brother. I don't think the Stone can actually know what we're thinking."_

_"It can too!"_

_"Oh, yes, and I can believe you don't still sleep with that toy ship of yours."_

_"It keeps me company!"_

Malekith smiled softly at the memory. Sweet, little Asmund... He approached pedestal where the Stone once sat. It as made of marble, carved to resemble the World Tree with crystal balls on its branches to represent each Realm. But since Odin's attack, several of the branches as broken off, leaving it mostly destroyed, just like the rest of the temple. 

Before he could find himself engrossed in any horrible memories, he shook his head and pressed a button that sat hidden just under one of the roots of the tree. Immediately, purple lines lit up, running down the tree's branches and trunk, down to the floor to form a large symbol. Stepping back, the pedestal moved to the side, revealing a spiral staircase that he wasted no time in climbing down. 

Scientists and workers were in a frenzy when he arrived, some looking concerned, but most looking excited. Machines worked overtime, numbers, and calculations being shown on holograms. But it all came to a halt when they noticed their king, all immediately bowing before him. 

"Bjarte," he called for the head scientist, who came scurrying forward, "is it ready?" 

"Yes, right this way, my king." He was led through a maze of tunnels, all with the same glowing purple lines along the walls until they reached a heavy door. Bjarte typed in a code and pushed a door open. The air hissed as mist escaped the room, revealing a large, muscular creature standing on the other side. 

"Kurse, awaken." Bjarte ordered. 

In just a few moments, its eyes fluttered open, glowing purple with black scleras rimmed around it. Horns grew out of its shoulder and the sides of its head, looking more like a demon from Hel itself than any normal creature. Malekith almost took a step back as it seemed to stare right through him. 

"It's bigger than last time." Malekith noted, staring at the beast's malformed face. 

"With our spies in Asgard, we've been able to take the DNA of Asgard's strongest warriors, including Thor himself." Bjarte told the king, approaching the large beast. "He will be able to rival any Asgardian, and he will obey our every command." 

"Show me his strength." Malekith ordered. 

Bjarte nodded, leading both the King and his creation into another, much larger room, a space designed to keep their warships from the eyes of any visitors who came to their planet. 

"Show him what you can do, Kurse." the scientist told it, almost like a parent encouraging a child. 

Kurse tilted its head, before looking up at one of the largest warships in their fleet. It approached and crouched down, hooking its clawed fingers beneath the aircraft before lifting it over its head with ease. 

"Marvelous." Malekith murmured as the beast placed the ship back down with surprising gentleness. 

"This is my most prized creation." Bjarte grinned. "Come, Kurse." 

Kurse approached them once again, standing tall like a soldier as he stood before them. Malekith took a step forward, staring up at its purple eyes. 

"When we find the Stone, the Aesir will have no way to stop us." Bjarte said proudly. "We will finally be free." 

"You've studied the Stone's capabilities, have you not?" Malekith asked. 

"Yes, I've studied all the information we have about its abilities." 

"Can it bring Asmund back?" 

The scientist was quiet for a long moment. "I'm... not certain, Your Highness. It can shape the world's atmosphere and plant life, but no one has ever attempted to bring back the mind of a loved one." 

Malekith hummed, continuing to stare at the beast before him. "...do you recognize me?" 

Kurse didn't respond, staring blankly at him. The king frowned, reaching out to place a hand on the side of the thing's face. 

"We will bring you back, little brother... And we will make those Asgardians pay for what they did to you. To all of us." 

"Sir!" A young dark elf raced into the room, holding pieces of paper in his hands. "Sir, we've found the location of the Stone!" 

Malekith quickly turned to look at the young man. "Where?" 


	8. The Enchantress

"Honestly, I was hoping Thor would show up with you." Amora tsked. The woman began to circle her like a predator on the hunt, her eyes power-hungry. Magic shimmered around her, making her human clothes turn into a more Asgardian-like dress. "Banishment makes the heart grow fonder, and how I would have loved to see your face when he fell in love with me all over again." 

_Asgardian..._ the voice in Jane's head hissed venomously. 

Whatever was inside of her, whatever... conscious being, it felt like it was heightening Jane's nervousness, making her heart feel like it had suddenly turned into lead. But she tried to shake out of it and scoffed at the blonde. "Thor never mentioned any 'Amora,' and I can see why, you freaking psycho." 

Amora paused before her face twisted in annoyance. "He didn't-? Oh, the bastard." She growled in irritation, before taking a breath and smoothing her hair back. "Well, nevermind that. I have the Stone in my possession, so he'll have to come eventually." Amora leaned towards the girl with a smirk. "I don't even know why he likes you. You're just some little mortal, you don't even know the power you hold." 

"You know, I never got why villains monologued." Jane said snarkily, must to Amora's clear confusion. "Are you guys just all narcissists?" 

She could vaguely hear something that almost sounded like laughter in her head. _Sassy Jane._

"No, just annoyed Jane." she replied to the voice in her head. 

Amora's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, are you talking to the air?" 

_She is distracted._

Jane took the chance to kick upwards, hitting the crazy magic lady in the chin and causing her to stumble away with a surprised yelp. Her magic fizzled away and Jane proceeded to book it the moment she was dropped, thanking the Norns--wow, Thor really was rubbing off on her--that she chose to wear sneakers today. 

"Get back here, you little-!!" she heard Amora shriek shrilly from the room she escaped. 

Okay, okay, what to do now, what to do now?? Find an exit, get help-- wait, who in the world could help her?! Thor was light years away! But Amora did mention he might come back soon, because of the Stone she absorbed?? 

The _thing_ in her body felt like it was swirling in her stomach, making her anxiety even worse just as it had before. Yellow-green magic flew past her head, narrowly missing her and instead hitting a wall, leaving a huge crater in it. She quickly turned a corner as another blast came at her, running as fast as her legs could carry. Thunder began to clap just outside of the museum and Jane prayed it wasn't just some random rainstorm. 

She spotted a janitor nearby and rushed over. "Hey! I need help! Some crazy lady's after me, call the police!" 

The janitor paused what he was doing and slowly looked up at her, his eyes glowing yellow-green. 

_Run the other way, Jane...!_

Jane screeched to a halt and bolted down a different hallway. "Oh my gods, did she brainwash that guy?!" 

_Enchantress._

"Not any better!" She kept running, ducking into a closet to catch her breath and hold her forehead in her hands. "When did my life get so weird?" 

_Possibly when you met Thor._

"Okay, what the hell, how are you talking? Or, thinking?" 

_A story for another time, now is the time to run._

"No arguing there." She was tempted to stay here and wait it out, but she wasn't going to risk getting cornered. When she heard the janitor run past her hiding spot, she opened the door and booked it the other way.

She tried to get help from anyone she saw in the museum, but they all looked at her with the same blank yellow-green eyes, forcing her to keep running as they too began to chase her. When they forced her into a dead-end, she cursed under her breath, desperately looking around for any way to escape. 

"Jane, darling, I don't have time for games." Amora said, calmly walking down the hall towards her. 

Jane backed away, holding her fists up defensively as they all advanced on her. She could feel herself begin to sweat and she could feel her fists shaking, but forced herself to swallow down her nervous energy, not wanting to seem weak and afraid. 

"You're a feisty one, no wonder why Thor likes you." Amora sneered. "Enough games, though, little girl. I'm taking that Stone--" 

Suddenly, there was a loud BOOM of thunder and lightning struck the ceiling just feet away. Red magic seemed to throw Jane out of the way as debris came crashing down, as well as blast the hypnotized people away, but also cushioned her fall when she was unable to catch her balance. Amora also ducked out of the way, running into a hall out of sight. 

Thor came crashing down from the sky, landing on the floor with a loud THUD, leaving cracks all around him. He looked around, eyes glowing white before they died down when they spotted Jane. 

"Jane!" Thor practically dropped his hammer as he rushed to her side, reaching out as if he was about to scoop her up in his arms. "Jane, are you alright??" 

The voice hissed in her head again, and a cold chill ran up her spine at the sound. 

_Asgardian..._

It felt like electricity was shooting through her hands, desperate to get out the closer Thor got. And for a moment, she was utterly terrified of what she might do. But it was overruled by the rush of relief that came with his presence and she couldn't help but practically throw herself into his arms, clutching him close. And as his arms wrapped around her, the feeling of safety overtook her fears, along with confusion she was certain wasn't her own. The hissing had stopped, and she breathed a sigh of relief. 

"We gotta stop meeting up like this..." she chuckled. 

Thor gave her a relieved smile when he pulled back. "Come, we must get you to Asgard--" 

"Leaving so soon?" Amora purred, leaning against the doorway of the room. 

Thor turned to her, eyes widening in surprise. "Amora?" 

"Crazy ex?" Jane puffed as Thor moved her behind him, crouching down to pick up a piece of debris as big as her fist. 

"Something like that..." Thor summoned Mjolnir back into his hand. "Amora, I don't want to fight you." 

"Neither do I, love." Amora walked towards him, smiling coyly at him. "I've missed you." 

Thor held out his hammer in front of him as a warning. "I will not fall for your tricks again, Amora." He didn't sound nervous, but Jane knew him well enough to notice the slight tremble in his voice. It surprised her because he was never nervous, he'd fought off aliens and giants and who knows what else. But this lady was making him nervous, and that made her angry. 

"Who said anything about tricks? It's been so long, Thor, put the hammer down." Amora said, flashing a smile at him. 

"Why don't you back off before I kick your ass, sister?" Jane spat, moving to stand beside Thor protectively. 

"Such vulgar language." Amora placed a hand on her heart as if she were personally offended by Jane's attitude. "Honestly, Thor, this is the woman you want to be with? Some vulgar little creature from a nothing planet?" 

Jane glanced down at her other hand, which glowed with yellow-green magic. 

"Haven't you missed me?" Amora cooed, stepping closer. 

Slowly, his hammer began to lower. "Yes..." 

Jane looked up at Thor in alarm, seeing his beautiful blue eyes become clouded by the same yellow-green that possessed all the people in the museum. Oh, _hell_ , no, she was not manipulating her boyfriend...! The foreign magic within her broiled like angry flames that spread throughout her entire body, sweltering as it churned in her stomach. 

_Reality is yours to shape, sweet Jane... Protect..._

Her eyes darted around until they finally fell on the painting of the ship Skidbladnir. She held out her hand and urged it to come forward as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The painting shimmered and she grabbed Thor's arm, using all her strength to yank him out of the way just as the large ship burst out of the painting. She heard Amora cry out in alarm as the ship went crashing into her and Jane and Thor crashed to the ground. 

Black and white spots danced across her vision and she tried to get up, but felt incredibly dizzy and quickly gave up. She faintly heard Thor call her name and felt his strong arms scoop her up again before she felt the wind flying through her hair, and saw a bright light shining through her eyelids. She must have passed out at some point because when she opened her eyes again, she was being carried through what looked like a hall made of gold. She was in complete awe of it, seeing beautiful, intricate designs carved into the precious metal. 

"Jane?" 

Looking up, she met Thor's concerned blue eyes, his brow pinched in concern. 

"Am I in freaking Valhalla?" she wondered out loud. 

Her question made Thor laugh, his expression becoming one of relief instead of concern, making her smile softly. He looked better when he smiled. "Thankfully not, my love." 

She was never going to get used to that pet name of his. 

"We're on Asgard, in the palace." He smiled her, that cute, goofy smile she adored. "My home." 

"Oh. Cool." She looked around once she felt like she could move her head without feeling dizzy, completely amazed at all the beautiful plants that grew outside, at how the city gleamed in the sunlight like it too was made of gold. "This is freaking awesome." 

She leaned her head against his chest, feeling it rise and fall with his laughter. This day was so crazy, but now... 

_Safe?_ she could faintly feel the Stone thinking. 

_Safe_ , she affirmed with a gentle smile. 


	9. In-Laws

"How do you feel?" Thor asked as carried Jane into the healing room, laying her down on the examination table and brushing her hair back as Mother's Vanir assistants came forward to tend to her. Her clothes looked singed as if she'd been in the middle of a fire, though her body seemed completely unharmed. 

"Like I'm tripping." she huffed with a light smile, looking around at the architecture all around her. 

Thor furrowed his brow in confusion and concern. "Tripping? Is that something to be concerned about?" 

His love just laughed in amusement, like he didn't understand what she meant. "I'll explain later, babe." 

Thor took a step back to let the Vanir healers examine her, looking to Eir, the eldest and most gifted of all their healers. "Thank you for seeing her, Eir." 

"It is no problem at all, my Prince." Eir replied, using her magic to form a holographic version of Jane just above her to perform a better examination, revealing something red slithering around inside her. 

"That's a quantum field generator, isn't it?" Jane asked. 

"It's a Soul Forge." Eir told her dismissively, trying to focus on her work. 

"Does a Soul Forge transfer molecular energy from one place to another?" Jane asked with a grin. 

Eir paused, looking down at her with an impressed expression. "Yes." 

Thor had to smile proudly at Jane when she beamed at him. Eir glanced at Thor and shot him a playful look of, 'You know how to pick them,' before she went back to her examination. 

"I have never seen anything like this before. Have you, Eir?" one of the other women asked. 

"No... no, I have not." Eir frowned in confusion, before glancing to Thor, who shifted on his feet somewhat awkwardly. Narrowing her eyes, she stepped away and approached him, leading him a little further from the group. "Now Thor, I have cared for you since your birth, and I have a feeling you want to tell me something you think will get you in trouble." 

Thor bit his lip, glancing at the group of women to make sure no one was listening. "Please promise me you won't mention this to Father? At least not how you got the information?" 

Eir looked confused and maybe concerned, but nodded. 

"I... I went to visit Loki, in the dungeons. I showed him a picture of something Jane was going to look at in a museum, and he told me it was something called the Aether." Thor explained to her, watching as Eir's eyes slowly grew wide. "I went to find her because I thought she was in danger, and when I got there, she was being attacked by Amora. I would have been enchanted by her if Jane had not somehow made a ship come into being from a painting." 

Eir frowned thoughtfully, glancing towards Jane, seeing the red swirling inside of the hologram. "I've heard of the Aether, as many know it as. But with how much power it's rumored to have... she could not possibly survive such a thing taking refuge in her body." After a moment, she took a breath. "I will not tell anyone of your visit to Loki, but I must inform the Allfather of this thing inside of her." 

Thor nodded, watching as Eir returned to Jane's side, continuing to examine her. 

"How do you feel, my dear? Any pain? Any sort of aching?" Eir asked gently. 

"No, I feel relatively okay. Just kinda tired." 

Thor sighed softly, relieved that she was alright, at least for the time being. But that relief quickly vanished when he heard his father's voice speak from behind him. 

"Are my words mere noises to you that you ignore them completely?" 

Thor took a deep breath and looked back at his father firmly. He couldn't let him see that he knew something more than he did. "She's ill." 

"She's mortal, illness is their defining trait." Odin said as he entered the room, followed by two guards. 

"I brought her here because we can help her." Thor told him. 

"My king--" Eir tried to interrupt, but the Allfather held his hand up to silence her, clearly too busy speaking with his son to pay any attention to what she had to say. 

"She does not belong here in Asgard anymore than a goat belongs as a banquet table." 

Thor could feel his face burn with frustration. Did his father always have to barge in and act as though his opinions were gospel, even though the choice was ultimately meant to be Thor's? He was about to ask as much before Jane beat him to it. 

She sat up from where she lay, giving Thor an incredulous look. "Did he just...?" She looked to Odin with a fierce expression. "Who do you think you are?" 

"I am Odin, King of Asgard, protector of the Nine Realms." Odin replied, watching her coldly. 

Jane paused for a moment before she remarked, "For a king, you don't have a lot of manners." 

Thor was caught between falling deeper in love with Jane and hiding under his cape. 

Odin, however, looked incredibly displeased. "You surround yourself with insolent mortals, it would seem. Let her healers care for her. Guards, take her back to Midgard." 

He turned to leave as the guards went to Jane, grabbing either of her arms. 

"I wouldn't--" Eir tried to warn them. 

"Get off!" Jane snapped at them, her eyes flashing red, before crackling electricity blasted the guards back, sending them crashing to the floor. 

"Don't touch her." Thor hissed protectively, rushing over to Jane's side and placing his arm around her back to keep the suddenly exhausted woman from falling back, as well as to keep her from being taken away by the guards. "Jane, are you alright?" 

"Uh-huh." She nodded weakly. 

He didn't even notice Odin had come up to Jane's other side, using his magic to inspect the veins in her arms, which were now glowing red, until he whispered in disbelief, "That's impossible." 

"It's defending her..." Eir said in awe, also approaching to make sure Jane had not hurt herself by tossing the guards away. 

"Now do you see why I brought her here?" Thor asked, trying to keep the frustration out of his face and voice. 

"Who else knows about this?" Odin asked hurriedly. 

"Amora attacked the girl on earth." Eir told Odin, keeping her word and never mentioning Loki. 

"She is not to leave the palace until we can be rid of the Aether." Odin told Thor firmly, before swiftly moving towards the guards as they got back to their feet. "Alert every warrior in Asgard, man every defense, and keep an eye out for the Enchantress, but do not alert the public, we don't need the people panicking." 

"What's happening?" Jane asked, slowly sitting up. 

"Come along." Thor gently picked her up as Odin and his guards hurried off. "Thank you again, Eir." 

Eir nodded. "Be careful, my prince." She gave him a playful smirk. "And don't get into too much trouble." 

He heard Jane snort. "Yeah, Thor, don't get into too much trouble." 

Thor rolled his eyes in amusement and quickly left the healing room with Jane in his arms to hopefully get rid of the embarrassment he didn't show, watching as the guards rushed down the halls. 

"You know, I can walk." Jane chuckled at him, watching him with those beautiful brown eyes that just made his heart race. 

"I know, I just... want to keep you close." he admitted sheepishly. 

"You're a goof." she chuckled but didn't complain as he brought her to his room.

She would be safe here, with him by her side. He gingerly placed her on the bed, grabbing the pitcher of water on his nightstand and pouring her a glass. 

"Are you sure you're alright? You're not tripping?" he asked as he handed her the water. 

She laughed. "I'm fine, I'm fine." she giggled as she drank the water.

"What happened in the museum?" Thor asked her, sitting at her side. 

"Well... that crazy chick pretended to be the curator and showed me the chest, which seemed to sort of... call to me? I guess? Then I absorbed the thing and now it's in my head. It kind of talks, but not really? It's more like I know what it's thinking." Her face flushed with what looked to be anger. "I should've known something was off, she was making off-handed remarks the whole time I was there." 

Thor grunted. "That's Amora." he said, then curiously asked, "What sorts of remarks?" 

Jane hesitated. "Er..." Then she shook it off, looking at him with a slightly furrowed brow. "First off, who's this Amora chick you never told me about?" 

Thor felt himself wince and he rubbed his neck. "She, um... she was an... old crush of mine. I courted her for a little while, but... it wasn't completely my own free will." 

Jane blinked in surprise but didn't speak up, allowing him to continue. 

"She's known as the Enchantress, she can manipulate the minds of anyone she likes. When she found out I admired her beauty, she used her magic to manipulate me into courting her. I can't remember how she was exposed, but I was freed from the spell and she fled Asgard to avoid my father's wrath." 

"Why did she manipulate you?" 

"For the throne." Thor frowned, glancing aside shamefully. "It's... why I never courted again, not for a long time... not until you." 

He felt her place her delicate hand over his larger, rougher one. With a small smile, he turned his hand palm up to lovingly hold hers as he looked back at her. 

"I was at my lowest, cast out by my own father, stripped of my powers and unworthy of my title... and you loved me anyway." 

She smiled gently at him, reaching up to brush his hair aside. "You're a sweet goofball under all the weirdness." Then her face fell into a fierce, protective expression. "And if she tries anything ever again, I will personally throw her into a volcano." 

Thor blinked at her. "Jane, have I ever mentioned how terrifyingly gorgeous you are sometimes?" he asked, his question making her burst out laughing. 

"Already bringing home trouble, are you?" came a chuckle from the doorway. 

Both turned their heads to see Frigga step in gracefully, smiling at the two. 

"Hello, Mother." Thor smiled, then turned to Jane. "Jane, this is my mother, Frigga, Queen of Asgard." 

"Uh..." Jane awkwardly bowed her head a bit, clearly not knowing what to do in front of the Queen. "It's nice to meet you, I'm--" 

"I know who you are, my dear." Frigga chuckled. "Thor's spoken highly of you many times." 

Jane's face lit up and she looked at Thor in amusement. "You told your mom about me?" 

"I, er..." Thor felt a bit of heat rush to his face and rubbed the side of his neck. "Maybe." 

Frigga chuckled, motioning for them to follow. "Come along, you two. Eir explained everything, and I'm sure you're not too comfortable in those clothes, my dear." 

Jane looked down, only just now realizing how singed her clothes were before she nodded. "Yeahhhhh, I need to change." She climbed off the bed, holding her hand up to Thor. "I can walk, babe, I promise." 

Thor chuckled and got up as well, still holding her hand. 

"Why does she call you a babe?" Frigga asked curiously. 

Thor didn't think his face could possibly get any redder as Jane laughed. 


	10. A Partnership

Malekith slammed his fist on the control panel of his warship, leaving a dent in the metal, his claws digging into his gloved palm. "What do you mean the Stone has been taken?!" 

The servant that came to inform him quivered with fear at his outrage as he stood at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the main control panel. "Th- The Aesir must have detected it somehow. Thor stays on earth c-constantly, they must have i-informed him and had him retrieve it." 

Malekith roared in anger and threw something--he didn't care what--at one of the screens, shattering it. He was so close, _so close_ , to ridding the universe of the Aesir scum and they beat him to the Stone! They couldn't even take off before they managed to steal it away. 

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to throw temper tantrums?" a female voice caught their attention. 

Malekith grabbed his large gun and whirled around, aiming past his servant, who had also drawn his weapon, their eyes falling on an Asgardian woman with blonde hair and a dark green cloak over her shoulders. 

"Put those down, I'm not going to hurt anyone." she chuckled. "That would make things a lot less easy." 

Malekith glared at her. "Amora." 

She grinned at him and tossed her hair back. "Finally, someone who knows who I am." 

"How did you get in here?" 

"I was held in high esteem for my magical prowess, dear Malekith." she replied, looking down at her painted nails casually. "It was easy getting past your guards." 

"What do you want, enchantress?" Malekith sneered. 

"It sounded like you need some help, and I am here to answer your prayers." She gave him a sweeping bow, clearly exaggerated and not at all meant to honor him. 

"We do not deal with your kind, witch." his servant sneered, much fiercer facing Amora than he was facing Malekith. 

Amora scowled. "I have elven blood, same as your lot, I _am_ your kind, just a little more Asgardian in me as well." She looked back at the king. "I believe we can help each other. I wanted the Stone at first, but... now that the opportunity has revealed itself, I have my eye on a bigger prize than a piece of jewelry." 

Malekith raised an eyebrow, but slowly lowered his weapon. "You are dismissed, Brandt." 

His servant looked up at him, confused and concerned, but quickly understood and nodded, putting his weapon away before scurrying past the Enchantress to leave the room. Malekith placed his weapon aside and leaned back in his seat, placing his folded hands on his lap, motioning for her to speak. 

She smiled, approaching the stairs. "A mortal girl is in possession of the Stone, a... close 'friend' of Thor's." 

Malekith's eyes widened in surprise. "A mortal girl?" 

Amora nodded. "Some human girl from the earth." She sneered. 

"And how do you know about this?" 

"I was there when she absorbed it! I would have tried to extract it from her, but she's a feisty one, and Thor showed up to save her." She huffed. "She will surely be protected by Thor and his kin, as well as the whole of Asgard. You won't be able to penetrate it's defenses unless you want to waste countless soldiers' lives." 

Malekith narrowed his eyes. "And how do you propose I get the Stone?" 

"I'm sure you want to get the Stone with as little casualties as possible on your end. My magic can get one soldier into Asgard's dungeons. When inside, they can free the prisoners, causing chaos within the city, and allow a few of your most powerful ships to enter the realm while the guards are distracted and away from their posts. Then we can take the girl while everyone is scurrying to figure out what's happening." 

Malekith's eyebrows raised a bit, honestly quite impressed with her idea, and he leaned forward in his seat to show his interest. 

She continued, "Odin is not stupid, of course, he'll assume you'll attack during the night. You must strike when they least expect it. You have suits to protect you from the rays of the sun, don't you?" 

"Yes, we do." Malekith replied. "But why should we trust you?" 

"I have my own reasons to hate Odin and his kin. Except for Thor, of course." She smirked. 

The king hummed thoughtfully. "And I suspect you have your own terms?" 

She folded his arms with a cold smirk. "I want Asgard's throne. Get your revenge on Odin, kill his kin, but leave Thor alive. I need him. You can cause all the damage you like to the city, I don't care, I'll fix it all anyway. And afterward, you'll be free to do as you wish, and I'll never allow Asgard to attack your Realm again. I will go on to conquer more realms, but you will be spared. Perhaps you can even get more realms of your own, with that pretty stone of yours." 

"I care not for conquering, do not mistake me for Odin." Malekith leaned back in his chair. "Is there a limit to whoever you take to Asgard?" 

"I can only send one person, the best soldier you have." 

The doors to the cockpit slid open and Kurse stepped through. Amora turned around, surprised as she stared up at the massive beast. 

"Even him?" Malekith asked, smirking at the woman's shocked expression. 

Amora was quiet for a moment, glancing over the creature, before turning to the king with a smirk. "Oh, yes, he'll do quite nicely." 

Malekith nodded. "Very well. Do what you must, Enchantress." 

Malekith stood by with multiple soldiers surrounding him, watching as the Enchantress made yellow-green magic swirl around Kurse, murmuring in a tongue he did not recognize. Kurse quickly vanished, and Amora clapped her hands together, looking back to Malekith with a grin. 

"Prepare the warship, set course for Asgard." Malekith ordered his men, who all bowed and rushed off to get the ship working. 

"I quite like seeing you order men around." Amora smirked as she walked up to his side, leaning an arm over his shoulder. "You know... we could be quite a powerful team." 

"I'm married." was his simple reply. 

"Ah, I see." She chuckled, looking amused. "Children?" 

"A daughter." Malekith lightly pushed her arm off before he went back to his seat. 

"You know, I heard many stories about Svartlheim during my time training under Frigga." Amora walked over to one of the windows, leaning against it as she looked out over the wasteland that was Svartlheim. "I never imagined it would be this bad." 

"And I've heard many tales of the elusive Enchantress that could make any man fall under her spell." Malekith replied, hands moving to press buttons and pull switches, the engines of the ship roaring to life. "I must say, I'm not enchanted." 

She laughed, walking over to him and leaning against his seat. "It's because of your strong will. And besides, I don't want to put you under my spell." 

Malekith raised a curious eyebrow at her. "Then how were you able to control Thor all those years ago? Or are those merely exaggerations?" 

She smiled, holding onto his seat as the ship began to take off, a few smaller ships following it. "For a prince, he has a surprisingly weak will. You could tell him anything and he'd believe you. It was easy to make him fall in love with me. If I had succeeded, I would have become queen." 

"And then he cast you out?" he questioned. 

She laughed. "Oh, no! It wasn't him, it was his wretched little brother." She sneered, her eyes narrowed in ittiration. "That boy could never keep his nose out of anything." Then she smirked deviously. "But, ah well... I got my revenge on him. Now it's his family's turn." 

With a wave of her hand, she summoned two golden goblets filled with wine, handing one over the king of the dark elves. 

"To a beautiful partnership." She grinned at him. 

He took one of the goblets and had to smirk a little, raising the goblet. "To the start of a new era." 


	11. Through A Child's Eyes

"Mother, may I speak to you?" Thor asked after she urged Jane into a dressing room, where some of the servants were waiting. 

After his brief argument with his father, he really needed some advice from his mother... She gave him a smile and a nod and closed the doors to the dressing room, leaving them alone in the hallway. But as he was about to ask for her advice, he couldn't help but notice the little wooden carving of a serpent hanging from her belt. 

"Mother, what's that?" he asked curiously. 

She looked down and gently removed the wooden snake from her belt, holding it gingerly in her hands. "Ah... It was meant to be a gift for Loki, but..." 

Pain and sorrow filled his mother's eyes as she gazed down at the gift, and Thor gently reached out to take his mother's hands. 

"What's wrong?" He wasn't used to seeing his mother so distressed. 

She took a deep breath and gave Thor a weak smile, and Thor was reminded of just how much Loki had learned from her, seeing how she masked her pain behind a smile. "I... spoke with Loki, briefly... I may have... touched a nerve, calling Odin his father... and he... disowned me as his mother..." 

Thor's face fell in surprise and he didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around his mother to try and comfort her. Why on earth would Loki say such a thing? Had he no idea just how much he tore into their mother's heart with his cruel words? 

His mother wrapped her arms around Thor, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know he didn't mean it, but... he's hurting... something happened to my boy..." 

Thor frowned. Even now, with her heart torn into pieces, she still thought of Loki and how _he_ must be hurting. Oh, Mother... 

"I'll go talk to him." Thor told his mother, and he was completely ready to give Loki a piece of his mind. For a moment, _just_ a moment, he had thought that they were getting somewhere after their time together in the dungeons. But Loki just had to be Loki and push everyone who loved him away, like he always did. 

"Don't be angry with him." Frigga said softly, as if she'd somehow read his mind. "He was upset, that's all..." 

_"Then am I not your mother?"_

Her question haunted him for what felt like hours. He lay in bed, twisting and turning, trying his best to get his mind off of her words, but nothing worked. He pressed his palms against his temples, groaning in annoyance.

They always wanted him to be truthful, so he was. She wasn't his mother. She was Thor's mother, the wife of Odin. He was the child of ice monsters and beasts that ravaged children's nightmares. That was the truth. So why couldn't she leave him alone? 

There was a small sound that made him freeze and he quickly sat up, staring at the chair just a few feet away. There sat a younger version of himself, around the age of ten, curled up in the seat and wiping his eyes as he sniffled. Loki found himself staring at his younger reflection and looked around briefly. 

"Is this some sort of joke?" he asked with a sneer, wondering who the Hel was doing this so he could bury his many daggers into their chest. 

When no one answered, he grabbed one of the fruits that remained in his bowl and threw it at the child. It went right through him, but... not the same way it would go through an illusion. 

"What are you?" he asked the child. 

The boy smiled at him, as if to say, 'You already know.' 

He watched the boy for a few moments, trying to figure out what he was. He wasn't an illusion, but clearly not an actual physical being either. He stared at him for a while, trying to figure him out. And the boy stared right back at him with intelligent eyes that matched his own. 

"You're not going away, are you?" Loki asked with a glare. 

His little self just grinned innocently at him. Loki sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. Could this day get any worse? 

"Loki." 

Loki flinched at the new voice and looked over in surprise, then huffed and let his head drop onto his pillow as he glared at the ceiling. "This day just keeps getting better and better." he grumbled. 

"For a man of words... I often wonder if you recognize how wounding you use yours." Thor said with a frown as he approached the barrier. 

"If you've come to scold me, don't waste your time, I'm a little busy." he dismissed his brother with a wave of his hand. 

Glancing back at the chair, he saw the boy give him a disappointed pout, and he did his best to ignore the annoying little creature. Thor didn't seem to notice him, so either this was a clever spell or he was going insane. 

Thor looked around, clearly unamused, but played along anyway. "Oh, yes, I'm sure you could fit this in your 'swamped' schedule." He sighed and frowned at him, and Loki _hated_ how much he looked like Mother. "You hurt her. Whatever problem you have with me, whatever problem you have with father... she doesn't deserve that. And you know it." 

He grabbed his empty cup and lazily threw it at Thor, though it bounced off the magical barrier, not bothering to respond as he watched the ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Thor's face flush with frustration. 

"You know, I thought we were getting somewhere, after yesterday." he said, and Loki could hear the way he held himself back from yelling it all at Loki. "We were getting along." 

"We got along every once in a while as children, it's nothing new." Loki said, again dismissing his brother, eyes focused on the boy watching him. "We both know where your loyalties lie." 

"Don't you care at all about her? She's utterly heartbroken because of you...!" 

Loki clenched his fists and forced himself to take a deep breath. His younger self frowned deeply at his brother's words, and looked like he was about to start crying, the pathetic thing. 

When he didn't answer, Thor sighed and shook his head disapprovingly. "One day, brother... I hope you can see the hands reaching to you... and how constantly slap them away..." And he walked away. 

Anger flared inside of Loki and he glared furiously at his brother as he watched him walk away. And once Thor was out of sight, he got out of bed and grabbed one of the books before he threw it at the barrier with an angry yell. That- that stupid, oblivious-! He started pacing around his cell furiously, running his fingers through his hair. How dare he say such a thing?! Hands reaching out-- where were those hands when he needed them?! Before he ended up in these horrid cells, before he was broken apart and put back together by the Mad Titan?! 

He roared and angrily punched at the barrier, but all it accomplished was burning his knuckles. He yanked his hand away with a hiss and held it against his chest, trying to focus on his anger and not the memories of flames licking at his skin. He took in shaky breaths and glanced to the chair to see his little self watching him with a sad expression. 

"What?" Loki hissed at him. "I don't need your pity. You're probably just a figment of my fractured psyche, nothing more." 

The boy didn't say anything, just watched him with that sad expression. Loki scowled and tenderly rubbed at his knuckles, and memories of a lifetime ago returned to him. He had attempted to cook for the first time, wanting to impress Sigyn, but he'd gotten burned. And he went running to his mother, who gently healed him with her beautiful magic. When he glanced back at the boy, Loki could almost read his mind, 'When wasn't she there for you?' 

Loki grit his teeth and angrily turned away from the chair where he sat. She wasn't there when he needed her. None of them were. Spite welled up inside of him, bitter and powerful just as it had been in New York, and he wanted desperately to find some way to stick it to Odin, to Thor, his _perfect_ brother. To find some way to make them feel an ounce of the pain he did. 

And then he heard alarms begin to blare. 

"He did what as a toddler?" Jane giggled as Frigga helped her slip on a beautiful navy blue dress with a breastplate. 

"He used to climb into Loki's crib and take him out to sleep with him in his own bed." Frigga chuckled. "The first time it happened, Odin had every soldier on guard until I found them sleeping soundly. Even took a bottle of milk with him, in case Loki got fussy!" 

Jane giggled and covered her mouth, thoroughly amused by Frigga's tales of Thor and Loki's childhood. "Were they close? As kids?" 

"Oh, yes." Frigga smiled wistfully. "Before Thor began his training, anyway... Ever since then, they'd grown distant..." 

Jane frowned. "Do you think... there's still hope for Loki?" 

"I do." Frigga smiled softly, this time hopefully, as she finished strapping on the small piece of armor. "You look lovely, my dear. Thor will be starstruck." 

Jane blushed and fiddled with her hair. "You think so? You don't think I'm too... ordinary for him?" 

"My dear." Frigga placed a hand on her shoulder. "He loves you for who you are. I see it in his eyes. You belong together." 

Jane felt her face flush, and her heart warmed at Frigga's reassurance and clear approval of their relationship. "Odin doesn't seem to think so." 

"My husband is... a very stubborn man, stuck in his old ways." Frigga smiled a little. "Are you happy with Thor?" 

"Well, yeah...!" 

"And he's happy with you. So it doesn't matter what Odin thinks." Frigga brushed her hair back tenderly, then looked over to the door when someone knocked. "Come in, love." 

Thor stepped inside and opened his mouth as if to say something, but it stayed agape for several seconds when his eyes landed on Jane. 

"What do you think?" Frigga grinned, taking Jane's hand and leading her to spin slowly, to show off her new clothing. 

"As beautiful as ever..." Thor said, and Jane almost thought he was in a daze for a second. 

Jane giggled bashfully, brushing her hair back. "Thanks." She got down from the step stool she'd been standing on to go over to Thor and kiss his cheek. "You're such a teddy bear." 

She loved the way his cheeks flushed a little and his adorable, goofy smile. For a strong prince of Asgard, he was so sweet. 

But the moment was ruined when alarms began to sound. The three of them looked to the window in confusion and Thor hurried over, peering out and spotting several soldiers heading to the dungeons. 

"Something's happening." Thor said worriedly. "In the dungeons." 

"If you're going back to check on the prisoners, be careful." Frigga told her son, placing a hand on his arm. 

"I want to go too." Jane insisted, hurrying over to Thor's side. 

"It might be dangerous, Jane." he told her. 

"I can help...!" she said. "Why have these reality-bending powers if I'm not going to use them?" 

"These powers can hurt you, my love, and I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire." He reached up his hand to tenderly placed it on her cheek, watching her with those big blue eyes of his. "Stay with my mother, alright? I'll be back." 

She sighed but nodded. "Okay..." 

He kissed her forehead before flying off with his hammer. 

_Why can we not go, Jane?_

Because she's a human. Not exactly the strongest creature in the Nine Realms. 


	12. The Attack

Jane hurried along through the hallways with Frigga holding onto her wrists, servants scurrying around as they tried to figure out what was going on. 

"What do you think's going on?" Jane asked. 

"I'm not sure." Frigga frowned, her lips pressed into a line. 

As they turned a corner, Jane spotted Odin just down the hall they were going through, giving orders to several soldiers. 

"Send a squadron to the weapons vault, defend it at all costs. Seal the dungeon." 

"Odin." Frigga called to him. 

He quickly turned when he heard her, before waving his guards off hurriedly. "Go!" Odin then quickly moved to meet his wife in the middle of the hall. "It's a skirmish, nothing to fear." 

"You've never been a very good liar." Frigga had to chuckle. 

Jane couldn't help but think about how weird it was, to see Odin's cold eye soften as he spoke with Frigga. 

"Take her to your chambers. I'll come for you when it's safe." 

"You take care." she told him in a firm voice. 

"Despite all I have survived, my queen still worries over me." Odin said, voice light with amusement. 

"It's only cause I worry over you that you have survived." Frigga retorted playfully, giving him a peck on the cheek before she continued on, still holding Jane's hand. "Whatever happens, do not leave my side, understood?' 

"Yes, ma'am." Jane nodded. 

"It's as if they resent being imprisoned!" Fandral called as he slashed his sword through one of the escaped prisoners that tried to attack him. 

"There's no pleasing some creatures!" Volstagg replied, yanking his ax out of the body of one of the fallen prisoners. 

Thor burst into the fray with his hammer crackling with electricity, momentarily causing the riot to halt. "Return to your cells and no further harm will come to you, you have my word." he told the prisoners, hoping to come to a peaceful resolution. 

Buuuuuuut they were quick to try and attack him, as well as his friends and the soldiers that were trying to keep them all inside. 

"Very well, you don't have my word!" Thor lifted his hammer and all his allies ducked before he slammed it into the ground, sending multiple prisoners flying into the walls. 

He fought his way through the dungeons, swinging his hammer and knocking anyone who got in his way to the side. He did his best to avoid slowing down, wanting to get to Loki's cell as fast as possible. Despite their tense conversation not even an hour earlier, he couldn't help the way his heart pounded with worry, thinking about his brother being surrounded by dangerous criminals. 

"Loki!" he called as he rushed to his cell, hoping he was alright. "Loki!" 

"I'm reading." Loki said casually, sitting down against the wall with a book in his hands. 

"Are you alright?" Thor asked, placing a hand against the barrier. 

"Of course I'm fine." Loki rolled his eyes. "I'm here, aren't I?" 

Thor had to smile in relief, despite Loki's clear annoyance. "Okay... stay safe, I have to make sure the others are alright. I'll be back." 

"Careful, some strange beast headed up into the palace." Loki told him just as he began to walk away, smirking a little as he imagined all the chaos that beast would bring, no matter how terrified his younger self looked. 

Jane was standing by the window as Frigga was speaking with some other Vanir and Asgardian women, probably telling them where to go if anything should happen, but Jane wasn't paying too much attention, just trying to spot Thor in the chaos outside. 

"Can you tell if Thor is safe or not?" Jane asked the Aether. 

_I am not the Soul Stone._ it replied. 

"There's more of you?" she asked, before she shook her head and moved on. "What else can I do with you, if I need to?" 

_Reality is yours to change, the only limit is your imagination, and your confidence in yourself._

Jane frowned. "Why pick me if I can barely do anything, then?" 

The Aether didn't answer her, but she could feel a sort of thrumming along her arms, a buzzing in her head. 

_Danger._

"What?" 

_Danger...!_

Jane squinted, trying to find out where the danger was coming from, when she noticed that the world was suddenly becoming a lot darker. 

"Are you ready to get your Stone back?" Amora grinned, a hand on her hip as she stood by Malekith's side. 

Malekith smiled sinisterly and handed Amora a small device. "You'll need this." He pressed a button on the control panel. "Drop the cloaks. I want to watch them run in terror." 

Screams rang out and Jane could only stare as the sun was suddenly blocked out by a giant black spaceship. At least, that's what she assumed at first before multiple ships detached from the larger one and all began flying down on Asgard, blasts of purple being shot from canons at their sides. Women and children were being ushered into their homes as men took up arms, soldiers were boarding skiffs, and taking off to attack the smaller ships, other guards were shooting from the ground while the civilians were trying to get to safety. 

"Jane, get away from there!" Frigga grabbed her and dragged her out of the way, pushing her into a hiding spot just before a yellow-green blast hit the window. 

But instead of causing any damage, the blast began to take shape and soon revealing none other than Amora. 

"Miss me, Frigga?" Amora smirked, sitting on the windowsill. 

Frigga summoned a dagger into her hand. "Leave us, Enchantress. I do not wish to kill you." 

Amora chuckled. "Neither do I. Just hand the girl over and we'll be out of your pretty hair." 

From behind Frigga, Jane raised her fists. "You want another boat punch to the face?" 

"You're cute." Amora sneered mockingly, getting up and moving towards them. "But unless you want Kurse over here to do this the old fashioned way, I suggest coming willingly." 

Jane was about to ask what in the world she was talking about when she spotted some sort of deformed monster stomping into the room. 

"What kind of abomination...?" Frigga gawked at the creature, keeping Jane behind her. 

A low, raspy voice came from the beast as if it hadn't spoken in a thousand years. "Malekith sends his regards." 

Amora suddenly lunged forward, summoning her own sword to swing at Frigga. Frigga pushed Jane away as their blades clashed, Amora forcing Frigga back and away from Jane. The monster stepped towards Jane as the girl backed away nervously. 

Frigga fought against Amora, both women easily matched, quick to swing, and dodged and blast at each other with magic. 

"You taught me well!" Amora smirked, kicking the older woman in the stomach to push her back. 

"If only you'd used my teaching for something other than your evil schemes!" Frigga quickly recovered, going back to slashing at Amora. 

"Get the girl, Kurse!" Amora snapped at the creature to hurry up. 

Kurse reached out to grab Jane, only for his hand to pass right through the illusion. The beast was confused for a moment, before it snarled and turned, marching back to Frigga and Amora. 

Frigga shoved Amora away when their blades met and whirled around to slash at Kurse, only for the beast to catch her wrist in his terrifyingly powerful grip. He twisted her arm behind her back and held its sword to her back, forcing her to stay where she was. 

"Where's the girl, Frigga?" Amora asked, walking up to the Queen. 

Frigga sneered. "I'll never tell you." 

Amora just smirked. "I know." She nodded to Kurse. 

The beast didn't hesitate to run the Queen through with the blade. Amora watched with a cruel smile as Frigga gasped in momentary agony, before the beast dropped her carelessly, its blade sliding out of her body. 

"No!!" Jane burst out of her hiding place behind the curtains, the spell of invisibility falling away as she stared at Frigga's body. 

Amora looked to her and smirked. "There you are." 

Jane's face twisted in rage and she screamed, eyes turning a deep, blood-red as she summoned as much of the Aether's power as she could. 

"Kurse!" Amora snapped, and the two rushed at her. 

Kurse took the full brunt of the blast that left Jane's body, but as furious as she was, it was surprisingly weaker than most magical energies were when angry. But Amora took the opportunity to get close and stab the girl with a small blade coated in a purple gel. Almost immediately, the magic disappeared, and Jane's eyes rolled before she collapsed. 

Thor barely got out of the dungeons when he heard screaming. Looking outside, he was completely horrified to see large ships raining down on his kingdom, blasts of purple exploding against gold and stone buildings. 

"Jane." he breathed and rushed through the palace. "Mother!" 

Thor raced to his Mother's chambers, dead soldiers littering the halls all around him. It had been a slaughter... He slammed the doors open with his hammer, and froze, staring at the scene before him. 

Jane was limp, hanging off the shoulder of the beast Loki had surely seen before. At its feet lay his dear mother in a pool of blood, and by the monster was Amora, pressing some sort of button on a metal band she wore around her wrist. She saw him and smiled, blowing him a kiss before they all suddenly vanished in a purple flash of light. 

He rushed towards the window to see the ships retreating back into the large ship and he threw his hammer as hard as he could at it. The ship moved as the hammer slammed into its side, going through it, but whatever damage he caused did nothing to stop the ship from vanishing right before his eyes. 

He was frozen in shock for several moments before his eyes landed on the pool of blood near his feet and trailed back to his mother... 

"Mother!" he choked out, dropping his hammer and rushing to her side, carefully taking her into his arms and trying to find any sign of life, anything he could save... but he already knew he was too late. 

He clutched his mother tightly and Asgard was left with dozens of soldiers dead, including the Queen of Asgard. Odin eventually burst in, with several of his soldiers, but even he had frozen at the sight of his eldest son clinging to his mother's body. 

Hours later, a guard would go down to the dungeons to inform Loki of his mother's death, and all throughout the dungeons, a roar of fury and grief would ring out through its halls. 


	13. Mourning

Thor felt like he had gone deaf the rest of the day, time but a blur to him. He barely recalled the funeral. He watched as mother's funeral boat was burned, watched as her ashes were returned to the stars... He vaguely noticed that Odin had left the funeral relatively early, so caught up in his own grief. Sometimes he found himself looking to the side, expecting to see Loki standing there with him, but he was never there. Never in his life, not even when he was cast out, did he feel so, so alone... He couldn't even cry, he just felt... hollow... 

Feeling only started returning to him when he was walking through the palace, pushing past his grief to try and focus on Jane. He wasted enough time in limbo, he had to get her back. He didn't know how, but he wasn't going to just leave her there. 

As he speed-walked to the throne room, he passed by a large ship left behind by the elves and could faintly hear his friend, Fandral, speaking, no doubt to Odin and his guards. 

"We are unable to restore the palace shields. Our artillery cannot detect them, even Heimdall cannot see them. My King, we are all but defenseless." 

Thor didn't bother knocking or calling for his father, pushing the doors open carelessly and walking towards them. "Leave us." he ordered. 

Fandral and the guards looked at him in surprise but only left when the King nodded at them. Fandral gently patted Thor's back when he passed by, but Thor barely even noticed. 

"We need to go after Jane." Thor told his father. "Perhaps the Aether will protect her for now, but I do not want to waste any more time." 

"Is that what you care about?" his father scoffed. "Your little mortal girl?" 

Thor's face twisted with anger. "Mother died protecting her, you would dishonor her by making her death worthless?" he hissed coldly. 

His father didn't answer him for a moment, walking down the steps and past them. "By noon tomorrow, we will invade Svartlheim. With all the men in Asgard, we will crush them all." 

Thor couldn't help the way his face fell in shock. "You will destroy us." 

"You overestimate the power of these creatures." Odin retorted. 

"No, I value the lives of our people, and the innocent lives of the elves on Svartlheim." Thor told him, turning and following him, throwing his arms out to the side in disbelief. "How many of our men will fall to their weapons? How many innocents will be caught in the crossfire?" 

"As many as are needed!" Odin snapped as he whirled around, startling his son into silence. "We will fight! Until the last Asgardian breath, the last drop of Asgardian blood." 

Thor didn't say anything for a long moment before his face twisted once more. "You're a fool." he hissed, stunning his father long enough to storm out, thunder clapping in the distance. "And I will not watch you lead our people to slaughter." 

Loki sat against the wall motionless, so still, that one might assume he was dead, if not for the rise and fall of his chest. He had pulled at his hair so much, it had become a horrid mess, his eyes were sore and no doubt rimmed with red, and the pain in his foot was hard to ignore. But... that pain wasn't as bad as the ice encompassing his heart, making it feel heavy and like it was slowly being crushed... 

It didn't help that his younger self was still sitting in the chair in front of him. But now, he was hugging his scrawny knees to his chest, sobbing against them. Part of Loki wanted to throw more things at the child just to make him go away, but... the boy refused to leave. 

Loki was so focused on just staring at his younger self, he didn't even notice Thor approach his cell until he softly called out his name. "Loki..." 

But he didn't answer him right away, staring at the crying child with an emotionless face. "...did she suffer...?" 

Thor's silence was more of an answer than anything he could have said. It only made his younger self cry harder, but Loki couldn't bring himself to care. He just took a shuddering breath and buried his face against the palms of his hands. 

"...Loki?" Thor asked worriedly. 

"...tell Odin I don't need his mercy anymore..." Loki said coldly. "Mother isn't here to protect me anymore... He can finally be rid of me..." 

Thor's eyes widened in alarm. "Loki...!" 

"I told the bastard where to go!" Loki snapped at him, glaring fiercely as he forced the tears back. He looked weak enough already in front of his oaf of a brother, he wouldn't humiliate himself more. "I told him just to spite Odin, and now Mother's dead because of me! So many are dead because of me!" 

Thor's mouth was agape, blue eyes wide as he stared at Loki, as if he'd been shocked to silence. The rage, the hatred, all those horrid feelings from New York came rushing back to him. He needed a way to lash out, and Thor had always been the perfect target. 

"Why don't you just get rid of me, _dear perfect brother_?" Loki sneered as he got up and limped towards the wall, ignoring the pain spiking through his leg. "I murdered your mother, I murdered your precious humans on your precious earth, I probably would have killed your _Jane_ if I had the chance! So come on then!"

The horrified look on Thor's face was absolutely delicious, made a cruel smile stretch across his face. It was like hanging off the abyss again, with nothing but his life to lose, and he was glad of it. 

"Get rid of me! Be the hero Odin always wanted you to be! You'd all be better off without me, so _go on you coward_!" By the time he got to the barrier that separated them, he was practically screaming. 

But as he stared into the horrified eyes of his brother, he felt a gentle touch on his clenched hand. Looking down, he was met with his younger self staring up at him. The boy still had tears running down his face, grief and guilt written all over his face. Then he looked to their older brother and just started crying more, moving through the barrier to hug the unsuspecting prince. 

The anger, and the hatred... it melted away as he stared at his brother and his younger self. "All I do is hurt people..." The words came unbidden, his voice shaky as his true feelings were revealed to the world, and to his brother. "Why do I deserve to be here while she isn't...?" 

His head lowered in shame as he dropped to his knees, his injured foot unable to hold him up any longer now that the blinding rage had faded. He caught himself on his hands and he could feel his shoulders shake. He knew how weak he looked, but... he didn't care. He ruined so many lives just by existing, took away so many from their loved ones, he led his mother to her own death... and if that weren't enough, the last thing he told her was that she wasn't his mother... Why did she have to die when she didn't deserve it...? 

He was so deep in his own self-loathing, he hadn't heard Thor open the cell door and step inside. And the next thing he knew, he was brought into a tight hug, pressed up against his older brother's chest with a hand on the back of his head. Loki flinched and his eyes widened in complete shock. W-What was...? 

"Don't say that..." Thor whispered as he buried his face against the younger's shoulder, and Loki could feel wetness soaking into his shirt. "Never say that..." 

Loki found his hands instinctively reaching up to return the hug, desperate to hold onto _someone_ and be comforted for once in his life, and his younger self stood just a few feet away, giving him an encouraging smile. But after a moment, he forced his hands to slowly lower back down. He held onto his brother's cape and rested his face against his brother's shoulder, but couldn't bring himself to do anything else. 

They sat there for what felt like hours, but what must've just been half an hour, mourning their dear mother together... 

Once he was certain he could speak without having his voice break, he pulled back just enough to look up at his brother. "What are you doing here?" 

He could see Thor wrestle with what he wanted to say, his brows furrowing hesitantly. "I... came to ask for your help..." he admitted, looking down. "The elves took Jane, and Father is going mad with grief... He's going to take the entire army of Asgard to Svartlheim, to crush them all... He doesn't care who's caught in the crossfire." 

Of course, Thor just wanted his help. At this point, he wasn't surprised, allowing a small smirk onto his face.

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help." Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself to go back to be filled with a thirst for vengeance, his eyes growing cold and determined. "We need to get there first." 

Thor seemed genuinely impressed by how Loki could so easily go from mourning to vengeful, wiping his eyes. "I think I may have an idea." He looked up to the ceiling. "Heimdall." 

"What you ask of me is treason." Heimdall told Thor, standing outside of the cell the brothers sat in. 

"It wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Loki chuckled, having used magic to fix himself up. 

"If we do nothing, Odin will lead Asgard to ruin." Thor told the gatekeeper. "And the innocent people of Svartlheim do not deserve to be caught in the crossfire." 

Heimdall had to smile lightly. "You've grown since your time on earth, my prince." 

Thor smiled a little. "Humans have taught me many things. Will you help us, Heimdall?" 

There was a brief moment of silence as the gatekeeper thought to himself. 

"All we ask is that you turn a blind eye, keep Odin from using the Bifrost for as long as you can." Loki said to the Seer, watching as his younger self looked up at him with admiration. He couldn't help but smile a little, remembering the days he would follow Heimdall around, asking questions and asking him to describe all he saw. "You're honorable, Heimdall, and you were more of a teacher to us than Odin ever was." 

Heimdall chuckled. "Attempting to win me over with flattery, trickster?" he asked, and Loki could just barely make out the fondness in his voice. 

Loki smirked playfully. "Is it working?" 

Another small chuckle. "Be quick about getting to Svartlheim. I can only hold them back for so long." 

Thor sighed in relief. "Thank you, my friend." 

"May the Norns be with you. Both of you." 

"Are you sure you'd rather not just punch your way out?" Loki chuckled lightly as he followed his older brother through the palace. It had been quite easy to slip through the dungeons, thanks to Loki's illusions, heading towards the ship that the elves had left behind. If only it had been so easy to get rid of that child. 

"I'll save my fury for the elves." Thor grunted, a hard, determined look on his face. 

Little Loki frowned and held his oblivious brother's hand, watching his older self with a disapproving look, as if he expected him to do something about Thor's mood. With a roll of his eyes and a small sigh of exasperation, he decided to listen to the boy for once, as annoying as he was. 

"It would be safer if I were to just disguise myself." With a wave of his hand, suddenly the American captain was walking alongside Thor. "The costume's a bit much. So tight! But the confidence...! I can feel the righteousness surging...!" 

Thor glanced at him and Loki could see him fighting the urge to smile. "Oh yes, you blend right in." 

Seeing Thor trying to hide his amusement made him more determined to get a smile out of him. So he kept at it, turning around to face his brother and continuing to walk backward. "Hey! Want to hear a rousing discussion about truth? Honor? Patriotism? God bless America!" 

Thor couldn't help it and laughed, shoving him aside. "And you said I'm immature...!" 

Loki chuckled and dropped the disguise, smiling at his brother's laughter. "Just a bit of fun." he said, blatantly ignoring the little boy's proud smile. 

Thor continued to lead him through the palace, dodging any guards they came across. Loki couldn't help but look over the walls they passed by, at all the gold and all the cracks left in them after the battle. 

They finally arrived at the ship, walking past the bodies of fallen elves that littered the floor to climb into it. It was kind of amusing, seeing his younger self hopping over the bodies with a disgusted look on his face. 

"Do you have any idea how to fly this thing?" Loki asked, leaning against the wall. 

"Uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhffffff course I do..." Thor said, not at all convincingly as he began pressing obviously random buttons on the control panel. 

"Yes, I can clearly see that." Loki rolled his eyes, watching as the boy tried and failed to press buttons along with Thor. "Well, whatever you're doing, brother, I suggest you do it faster." 

"I'm going as fast as I can..!" 

"No, don't hit it, just press it gently." Loki scolded him, rubbing his forehead in a bit of annoyance. 

"I AM pressing it gently!" Thor told him while banging his hands on the panel with each syllable. "It's not _working_!" 

Loki was about to scold him again when the ship's interior suddenly lit up and the ship's engines began to roar. "Huh. Would you look at that." 

Thor smirked at him. "Ha." He grabbed what he assumed was used to steer and tried to turn the ship around. Aaaaaand the wings broke through pretty much every pillar it came across on the way, alerting the nearby guards who came rushing in. 

"I think you missed a column," Loki said sarcastically. 

"You wanna drive??" Thor bit. 

"I'm clearly the better pilot!" Loki retorted. 

"Out of the two of us, which one can actually fly??" 

Loki was about to answer when Thor suddenly put the pedal to the metal and blasted out of the palace. The trickster nearly lost his balance, and probably would've gotten thrown around if he hadn't grabbed onto Thor's arm. They rocketed through Asgard, the ship turning sideways to avoid hitting the buildings they passed by.

But it didn't take long for soldiers to go racing after them in their skiffs. 

"Now they're following us." Loki helpfully informed his brother when he looked back. 

Thor ignored him as he focused on driving, trying his best to shake them. The soldiers on the skiffs began blasting at them, each blast hitting the ship and making their flight very, very turbulent. 

"Now they're firing at us!" 

"Yes, _thank you_ for the commentary, Loki, it's not at all distracting!" 

They continued speeding through the city until the got to the sea that surrounded the kingdom. 

"Dammit, they're still on us!" Thor scowled. 

Loki glanced around, before seeing the boy trying to grab the steering, pointing down at the water below. Loki immediately understood what he was trying to do and grabbed the steering himself, pushing his brother aside. "Here, give it to me!" 

Loki pushed the steering stick forwards and the ship suddenly dipped, racing towards the water as Thor clung to the wall of the ship. 

"Loki, are you crazy?!" 

"Possibly!" Loki used what little knowledge he had of very advanced machinery to pull up a hologram of what was behind them, showing the several skiffs racing after them. "Come on, then, cowards, you gonna crash with us?" 

They dove towards the water, and at the very last second, Loki yanked the steering back, forcing the ship to just barely skim the water as it curved back into the sky. The skiffs behind them, realizing they were about to crash into the water, all scattered in different directions to avoid crashing and thankfully giving the brothers enough time to get away. 

Thor was laughing beside him and clapped his back. "That was insane, brother!" 

Loki chuckled, keeping the ship going as fast as it could. "It's not over yet...!" 

He steered them towards a relatively large, but slim crevice in the side of the mountains at the very edge of Asgard, the secret passageway between realms that the elves had no doubt also used. 

"U-Uh, that's-!" 

"If it were easy, anyone would do it! Now hold on!" Loki advised. 

"Oh, sh--!" Thor held on as tight as he could as Loki turn the ship sideways and they barely made it into the crack of the mountain. 

They were jostled inside of the ship as its metal sides scraped against the rocks, sparks of multiple colors lighting up before suddenly opening up and leading them to a barren wasteland. Thor was yelling the entire time until Loki righted the ship and they slowed down, unsteadily gliding along. 

There was about a minute of silence as the brothers tried to catch their breaths, adrenaline pumping through their veins. 

"Ta-Da~" Loki sang with a playful smile once he caught his breath. 

Thor slid to the floor with a groan, and Loki could see his younger self laughing, though no sound came from the boy. "You. Don't get to drive. Ever." 


	14. When Wrath Breeds Fear

Jane's head was pounding when she woke up. With a groan, she tried to lift her hands to rub her forehead, only for something to hold it back. She groggily turned her head to see what it was, only to find herself restrained to some sort of bed with metal cuffs that clamped around her wrists. When the realization sunk in, she was fully awake immediately. The familiar feeling of the Aether's magic was bubbling in her chest, reacting to her stress as she desperately writhed and struggled to escape her bonds. 

_Do not panic, that will not help,_ the Aether told her. 

The Aether's magic seemed to stop reacting along with her panic and instead worked to soothe her stress. After a few deep breaths, Jane gulped and raised her head to take in her surroundings. She was in a small room with a tiny window, where she could see stars flying by, and there were two doors, one with a window leading deeper into the ship and the other was probably a closet. Glowing purple lines ran across the walls, like from a computer's motherboard.

"W-What happened...?" 

_Malekith._

Jane furrowed her brow in confusion when the memories came back to her. The alarms, the ships, that _monster_... Frigga... The thought of Frigga made dread pool into her stomach, weighing her down. 

"D-Do you think Frigga survived...?" Jane asked it slowly, only to be met with dreadful silence.

She wanted to cry and grieve and panic all at once, but she knew she had to get out of here first. She swallowed and took another deep breath. 

"C-Can I use you to get out?" she asked, not caring if she stuttered. "Like... turn these t-things into bubbles or something?" 

_You're still tired from the drugs they gave you. To try would cause you harm. Save your strength._

She sighed shakily and let her head thump back against the bed she was restrained to. She could feel the Stone working to fight off the drugs in her body, but it just made her feel useless. The Stone was working to save her because she was a weak little human that couldn't fight against a bunch of dark elves on her own. She never asked for this, but now Frigga was gone because she just so happened to be the one to inherit the Stone. 

_Dwelling_ _on your guilt will change nothing, Jane._

"I know it doesn't change anything, but I can't help but wonder if Frigga would be okay if I hadn't been the one to grab you." Jane huffed in annoyance. 

_You did not "grab me," Jane. I chose you._

"But why?" she questioned, desperate to know why she of the millions of people on earth just _had_ to be the one to take the Stone. 

The Aether didn't have time to answer before they heard light footsteps approaching the door. Jane was torn between playing dead and staring at the door in a slight panic, and couldn't decide before the door slid open. She was expecting that horrible monster or that witch, Amora, not a 10-year-old kid. 

The girl stared at her when her purple eyes landed on the restrained woman as the door slid shut behind her. With a wary stance, she slowly approached Jane. "Hello..." 

"E-Er... hi?" Jane said uncertainly. What in the world was a kid doing here? 

"I'm not supposed to be here, but I was very curious." the girl said, approaching her bedside and looking over her with a confused look on her face. "Are you an Asgardian? I expected someone more... big and scary with pointy teeth." 

Jane blinked at her question. "Um... no, I'm a human." 

The girl's eyes lit up and she came closer, an excited smile on her face. "A human?! From Midgard?" 

Again, Jane blinked, this time at her enthusiasm. "Er, yeah, pretty much." 

"That's amazing...! I've never seen a human before...!" Then the girl's pale face flushed a soft purple and she stood up straight, clearing her throat. "I-I mean... it's very... interesting... that you're human." 

Jane tried her best not to snicker at the girl's attempts at being firm and more professional. It was pretty cute. And despite the... unpleasant situation she was in, she decided to talk with the girl, if only to distract herself. "My name's Jane. What's yours?" 

"I am Princess Alvilda, heir to Svartlheim's throne." The elven girl stood up straight and puffed her chest a bit, a proud expression on her face. 

"I really like your name." Jane smiled. 

"Really?" Alvilda grinned back at her. "I like yours, too. It's very funny." 

Jane chuckled. "Compared to the names other worlds have, it probably is." she admitted. 

"Why are you on our ship if you're not Asgardian?" Alvilda tilted her head. "Father went to Asgard to collect the Aether, not Midgard." 

Jane smiled thinly. "Well... I was staying on Asgard for a little bit because I... kind of have the Aether." 

The kid blinked at her, confused. "Where?" 

Jane motioned to her own body with what movements of her hand she could make. 

"Oh, so you're Chosen??" Alvilda asked excitedly. 

"Chosen?" 

"Father says that the Aether chooses someone to defend the realm of Svartlheim, and usually it's elves, but now it's a human that's gonna defend us...!" 

Jane tried her best not to wince at the girl's excitement. "Oh... wow." 

Then Alvilda frowned in confusion. "Why would Father keep you as a prisoner if you're Chosen?" 

Jane didn't know how to reply, but she didn't need to, hearing voices quickly approaching her room. 

"...must go to the temple before we can extract the Aether from her." 

"We may not have time to get to that stupid temple, Malekith." 

Alvilda perked and quickly looked to the door, before scurrying to hide in the closet. "Don't tell them I'm here...!" 

"U-Uh..." Jane couldn't reply before the girl closed the closet door, just as the other door slid open. She slammed her eyes shut and did her best to play possum, hoping they wouldn't notice she had woken up. 

"Just use your technology to get it out of her, it shouldn't be so difficult." she could hear Amora say as her footsteps drew closer to Jane's bedside. 

"I told you, we need to go to the temple first." Jane heard a man's voice reply from somewhere behind Amora. "It's still protecting her, we must return it to its roots."

She tried not to flinch when a cold hand brushed against her cheek. Her heart lodged in her throat and she forgot to breathe, feeling sharp claws trailing across her skin. 

"The temple will draw it out, and the Aether will be mine." The man sounded confident, almost smug, and it made anger bubble in Jane's chest. But it wasn't her, she realized, it was coming from the Aether. 

"What are we going to do with the girl afterward?" Amora asked. "I doubt you'll give her to your daughter as a little human pet." 

The man snorted. "Thanks to you, Odin's army will be at Svartlheim's gates very soon. But because of our attack, it will take them at least another few hours to gather their forces. By then, the Aether will have returned to me, and we will have no need for the girl." 

It took a lot of effort for Jane to keep from shaking at the casual way they talked about getting rid of her. Her heart refused to calm itself, beating wildly to the point she was almost certain they should be able to heart it. Not even the Aether's hissing reassurances helped calm her nerves. 

"Oh, that should be fun." Amora giggled and clapped her hands together. "If I take on her form, it'll be so easy to make Thor bend to my will. And he won't even know I'm doing it." she practically sang. 

Her words made Jane's heart skip a beat, before it began pounding once again, but not out of fear. First, she took away Thor's mother, now she was going to parade around with Jane's face to manipulate him? She couldn't contain her hot, boiling rage, or the Aether's for that matter. She snapped her eyes open and a small, electric stream shot out and zapped Amora on the arm, making her yelp and jump away in surprise. 

"Like _hell_ you are." Jane hissed between bared teeth, glaring at the witch, despite the tired feeling that came with the small exertion of magic. 

A tall pale elf looked down at her, just as surprised as Amora was, before his purple eyes narrowed and a mirthless smile formed on his face. "Fiery little human, aren't you?" 

"I'm not letting you take the Aether." Jane turned her attention to the elf. He shared an uncanny resemblance to the girl she had just met, but she didn't care. She forced herself to swallow her fear and focus. "And I will _never_ let you hurt Thor." 

The elf stepped closer and leaned down, his cold eyes locked onto hers. "Your loyalty is impressive, child. But in vain. You will have no choice. That Stone belongs to Svartlheim, belongs to me. It is mine by right." 

Jane felt fear encapsulate her heart as she stared into the eyes of the man that would soon try and kill her, but she forced herself the glare at the King. The king that allowed Amora to steal away Thor's mother and killed who knows how many innocent people. She thought fast, and her mind quickly recalled the story Alvilda had told her.

"If it's meant to be yours, then why don't you just take it?" she asked before she could talk herself out of it. It was stupid, antagonizing her captor, but she couldn't just sit here and do nothing. 

Malekith scowled at her, and she could see his anger rising. "You know nothing, little mortal." 

"There's a reason Amora could never use it." Jane put on a brave face, keeping her fear down so she could focus on what she needed to do. "It didn't need a temple to choose me, but it did." 

Malekith suddenly took ahold of her chin, his sharp nails digging into her cheeks painfully, though not enough to break the skin. "The Aether belongs to Svartlheim, it is meant to defend our realm. Just because some pathetic creature like you took it--" 

"The stone is alive, it wouldn't have let just anyone take it. It told me I'm Chosen, and you're my enemy, so it will never come to you." Jane bluffed, hoping the elf would buy her lies and get angrier. Irrational people made mistakes, mistakes others like Thor could exploit when they finally got here. 

In a rage, Malekith suddenly slashed his claws across the wall just above Jane's face. Jane flinched as his burning eyes bore into hers, but tried her best to keep her cool. "You know _nothing_ of what you speak." he snarled. "I do this for my people, for my family!" 

"Was murdering a kind and gentle queen for your family? Is manipulating Thor for your family?" Jane sneered, hoping to dig the knife as deep as she could for all the pain he made Thor go through, for allowing Amora to kill an innocent woman just because she was in the way. "You're doing this for _yourself_ , to settle a vendetta against some old man whose family did nothing to you! You're just making excuses, pretending to be better than you are. But you're not, and the Aether will _never_ go to you." 

His eyes sharpened and filled with fury as he raised his clawed hand back, ready to strike at her, before a little voice spoke up. 

"Father?" 

Everyone turned their heads to see the young elven girl stood in the doorway of the now open closet, staring at the three. The child was somehow paler than she was before, eyes wide and shaking with horror as they darted to her father's raised hand. 

"Alvilda, what in the world are you doing here?" In an instant, Malekith's anger seemed to vanish. He tried approaching his daughter, but she backed away. "Darling, it's alright." 

The child looked at Jane, and she felt a guilt stab at her heart for forgetting she was in the room and forcing the girl to hear everything from her hiding spot, watching as Alvilda bolted through the door and out of the room as fast as she could. 

"Alvilda!" Malekith didn't hesitate to go after her. 

"Let her go, Malekith!" Amora yelled but was blatantly ignored and she scoffed in annoyance. Then her eyes locked onto Jane's, narrowing dangerously as she leaned close. "That Stone won't protect you forever. Thor will be mine, one way or another." 

Jane glared at Amora until the door closed behind the Asgardian, before finally relaxing with a heavy sigh. Gods, her she was shaking from how much fear she had to stomp down. While she felt guilty that such a young girl had to hear and see all that, she also couldn't help but feel proud of herself for speaking up instead of cowering before a tyrant. Thor would probably be proud... 

_I am proud._ the Aether told her, and she found herself smiling at its praise. _Fierce Jane._

"Hah. Thanks." 


	15. Hope and Rescue

Thor had heard stories of the magnificence of Svartlheim, how advanced its technology was, and how it was easily intertwined with magic. Loki had expressed many times how much he wanted to visit the realm, but seeing it now... 

"It's so... empty..." Thor murmured in disbelief as their damaged ship glided across the barren wasteland they once believed to be full of life. 

"Wars tend to do that." Loki replied in a bored tone as if he weren't surprised at all. "They'll probably take her to the temple, or what's left of it." 

Thor looked at him in surprise, barely registering the last part of what Loki had said. "Wars? What wars?" 

Loki rolled his eyes and gave Thor a look that he recognized. He always gave him that look when he thought Thor was being an idiot. "Brother, you cannot be this oblivious. Do you think Odin just came to the realm and asked nicely to be their ruler?" 

Thor opened his mouth, but soon realized he had no answer. "But... Father said--" 

"Your _father_ ," he spat the word out with a sneer, "doesn't tell the whole truth, brother. You should learn that by now." 

Thor felt annoyance growing in him at how Loki disrespected their father, and he gave his brother a stern glare. "He's not a conqueror, brother." 

"Oh please." Loki scoffed, looking off. "Where did you think he got enough gold to build an entire kingdom?" 

The annoyance Thor felt vanished, replaced with a very cold feeling in his chest. The gold... Jane had mentioned it, too... 

"He... always does things for a reason." Thor said slowly, and he hated how hesitant he sounded. 

Loki scowled at him. "Are you _serious_? After _everything_ he's done, telling me my birthright was to die, threatening to destroy an _entire_ realm, you still defend him?" he asked in disbelief.

Thor caught a glimpse of what looked like... sorrow and betrayal in his brother's eyes at the thought that Thor favored Odin over him, and Thor hesitated for a moment. He didn't know how to respond. He knew Father had hurt Loki with his words, but... it was hard to accept it when he looked up to him for so long. And who's to say that Loki was even speaking the truth about it? As much as it pained him to doubt his brother... he couldn't believe him blindly anymore. 

After a few moments of no answer, Loki just sighed and looked towards the wasteland, moving on from the topic. "I doubt the elves found a way into Asgard on their own. Someone must have helped them, and they must be powerful, so we'll need to be careful." 

Thor broke out of his silence, wincing a little. "Well... Amora's with them." 

Loki stared at him in complete disbelief. " _Amora_?" 

Thor slowly nodded, trying not to let his nervousness show at the realization that they'd have to fight her, too. 

"Well, that's just wonderful." Loki sighed in irritation before he held out a hand to his brother. "Give me your hand, I have a spell to keep her magic at bay." 

Thor blinked in surprise, letting his brother take his hand. "You know a spell to keep her magic away?" he asked in confusion. "I didn't think she ever did such a thing to you." 

"She didn't." Loki said with an exasperated roll of his eyes, drawing a rune onto Thor's palm with green magic. "Ever since she escaped, I've worked to make a protective charm specifically for you." 

Thor stared at him for a moment. "What?" 

Loki paused his work to look up at him with a raised brow. "What? Did you think I'd just let her enchant you after going through the trouble of exposing her to the entire court?" he chuckled. 

Thor's mouth fell agape. That day had been nothing but a blur in his mind. All he could remember was his mother worrying over him and his father telling him what she had done, that she had been exposed and was now on the run, but that he was safe. No one had told him that _Loki_ had broken her spell. He didn't even remember Loki being there. Then again, Father had mentioned there was a search party looking for her... 

"Were you trying to track her down, after the spell was broken?" Thor asked, watching his brother finish up the sigil. 

"Yes, to make sure she didn't come back." Loki replied simply. 

"Even though she was your friend?" 

Loki paused at his question for a few seconds before pushed Thor's hand back and turned back to the control panel, seemingly working on finding the temple, but Thor knew better. "She _was_. Then she made the mistake of trying to take the throne. I was just cleaning up her mess." 

Thor rubbed his palm gingerly, his heart feeling warm as he looked deeper into Loki's dismissive response. Now that he knew what to look out for, he could hear the words Loki refused to say out loud. 

"You know..." he started, successfully getting Loki's attention again. "When we fought each other in the past... I did so with the glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere." Thor gave his brother a hopeful smile. "Looks like I was right." 

Loki scoffed, but he couldn't hide his small amused smile from Thor. "You're a stubborn oaf." he said, going back to looking at some sort of radar on one of the many screens of the ship. "One act of good makes you think you can trust me?" 

Thor pursed his lips a little at the question, taking a moment to think. After everything, all the backstabbing and betrayal... he couldn't trust Loki completely. Even knowing Loki had saved him from Amora, even now that Loki was helping him find Jane, and knowing that there was a chance that a _small_ part of Loki still cared for him, there was always a chance he'd end up with a knife in his side again. 

"I wish I could trust you..." he admitted softly. 

Loki didn't look at him, seemingly focused on his task even as the silence hung heavy between them. Then he spoke up, his voice soft but firm. 

"If you did, you'd be the fool I always took you for." His green eyes glanced back up at Thor, his eyes burning like wildfire. "Trust my rage." 

Jane looked up as the door slid open and a pair of dark elves came in and undid her restraints before they forced her up and dragged her through the ship. She had half a mind to punch them in the face, but she reminded herself that she had to bide her time and get outside before she threw hands. She looked around warily, seeing more dark elves watching her as she passed. It was eerie, having so many people looking at her from every direction, so she tried her best to keep her eyes down. 

When they arrived at a large door with the designs of some sort of tree, one of the elves slipped a mask onto her face. She almost smacked the elf's hand away, but the Aether convinced her otherwise. 

_The mask will help you breathe without my help._

She reluctantly let the elf slip it on and watched as he pressed his hand against some sort of pad beside the door, causing it to slide open to reveal a dark wasteland. 

This... was Svartlheim? 

_Yes. What Odin made it._

Jane frowned as she looked around, following the elves towards the remains of the temple Malekith had talked about earlier. As she walked, she spotted Malekith arguing with an elven woman who held his daughter behind her. 

"You've gone mad, Malekith!" she snapped at him, and Jane guessed that she was his wife, just from how protective she was over Alvilda. "Killing Asgard's queen? Taking an innocent woman and planning to kill her just because she has that damned Stone?!" 

"Dagmar, this is the only way!" he protested, brow furrowed in anger as if he couldn't understand why she was so upset at him. "We can rebuild our empire, we can bring Asmund back!" 

"Your brother is _dead_ , Malekith! You've made his corpse into a horrid beast!" Dagmar cried, and the little girl buried her face against her mother's back, clutching her dress. "And you're so blinded by hate and rage, you can't even see what you're doing to your family, your _living_ family!" 

Malekith opened his mouth as if to shout back, but his wife held up her hand to stop him. She took a deep breath and she glared coldly at the king. 

"But I know you won't listen to me. Do what you must, _King Malekith_. But I will not stay here and let you endanger our daughter any longer." 

With that, she scooped up the little girl and stormed off, ignoring Malekith calling out for her. 

"Let her go." Amora sauntered over to Malekith's side, leaning an arm on his shoulder. "She'll come back. And besides, we're so close to bringing Asmund back." 

As if on cue, the monster walked up to stand at their sides. Jane passed them by and had to look over her shoulder to keep watching. Malekith looked into its eyes and his face hardened with determination before he nodded and headed into the temple, swiftly walking past Jane. She gulped and her eyes darted around, taking in the sight of dozens of robed elves surrounding them. She was shoved into the very center of the large room and a dome of yellow-green magic surrounded her, preventing her from running. 

"This is going to be fun." Amora purred, leaning against the barrier with a dark smirk on her face. 

Jane scowled and looked up, hoping to find some sort of weak spot in the barrier, only to find herself looking through the broken ceiling into the sky. The dirty, dark clouds parted to reveal three bright moons shining down on her, and she was in awe. One of the robed figures began to speak in a language she didn't understand before everyone else save for Amora began to chant. 

"What are they saying?" Jane whispered to the Aether. 

_They are praying to their gods to draw me out of your body,_ it explained, _and to let me take my place within Malekith instead._

Jane shivered as the moons seemed to shine brighter and she felt the Aether's magic grow more powerful within her body, like embers igniting into a flame. 

"What do I do?" Jane whispered worriedly. She was a sitting duck in here, and she'd seen enough cult movies to know where this was going. 

_Wait. They're almost here._

"Who?" 

"I assume we're going to sneak in?" Thor asked as their ship approached the ruins. 

Loki hummed thoughtfully, his eyes glancing at all the ships surrounding the ruins. "She may not have enough time, and they'll notice we don't belong soon enough..." Then he glanced down at his younger self, who gave him an excited grin. "I suppose we could pull a Thor just this once." 

"Wait, what is that supposed to--" 

Loki didn't give him time to finish his question, pushing the poor damaged ship to its limits and sending it crashing into the ruins. He saw the dark elves inside all look up just before they were all knocked away either by the ship or the debris. Loki was quite satisfied when he briefly saw Amora's shocked face before she was forced to run out of the way. Thankfully, her barrier held up quite nicely around Jane, protecting her from the debris and stopping the ship right in front of her. 

Loki opened the door of the ship, allowing Thor to race out and smack any dark elf left standing to the side with his hammer as he hurried towards his lover. 

"Jane!" 

Relief overtook the woman's features and she pressed her hands against the barrier. "Thor!" 

With one mighty swing of his hammer, the barrier broke apart and vanished. Jane didn't hesitate to throw her mask off once the Aether assured her that it would protect her, and she threw her arms around him in relief. Then she quickly pulled back, grabbed the sides of his face, and yanked him into a kiss. His eyes widened and he made a small, started noise but he quickly sank into it, his arms wrapping around her waist. 

If Loki hadn't been guilty of the same thing with Sigyn, he might've shouted at them to get a room. But that didn't mean he couldn't roll his eyes as he leaned against the ship, watching the scene unfold. Even his younger self stuck out his tongue like he were about to gag. They probably would've been there for hours if Loki didn't hear the ships start to land all around the temple. 

"Another time, perhaps, we have to go!" he called to them, forcing them to pull away from each other. 

Thor scooped his lover into his arms and raced back inside while Loki tried and failed to get the ship up and running. 

"Dammit, it won't start." Loki growled in irritation, seeing an army of elves leaving their ships to race towards the temple. "Thor, distract them while I try to get this thing working." 

Thor nodded, but before he left, he grabbed Loki's arm to get his attention. "Take care of Jane." he said in a stern tone, brow furrowed as if to try and express to Loki just how serious of a request this was. 

Loki watched him for a moment, before reaching up to firmly squeeze his brother's hand. "As if I'm going to let her die after we went through all this trouble to save her." he said in a light, joking tone. 

Thoe gave him a smile and he flew off to face the hoards, fighting through them with ease, crashing lightning across one ship to the next. Loki was reminded of why he was always so jealous of his brother, seeing him blast foes away with his loyal hammer, but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. 

"How does this thing even function??" Loki started pulling another Thor and pressed all the buttons he could, trying to get the ship to work. 

He glanced down when he noticed Jane crawling under the control panel, pulling the metal away to reveal wires underneath. "These things are fried, we're gonna have to rewire them if we want to go anywhere!" 

Loki blinked at her as he watched her hands work to connect a bunch of wires. "How in the world?" 

"I'm a scientist." she replied with a chuckle. 

Loki decided he quite liked her, at least she could probably keep his brother in check. But then the ship suddenly lurched onto its side by some terrifyingly strong force, throwing them both off-balance. Loki grabbed onto Jane and held her against him as the ship crashed onto its back. The force of the impact threw them out of the open door, and Loki twisted as they fell to cushion the human's fall. 

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" 

He looked up and scowled when he spotted none other than Amora approaching, the beast walking beside her and away from the ship it had just toppled. Loki got to his feet as fast as he could, pulling Jane up along with him before pushing her behind him, summoning daggers into his hands. 

"Long time no see, Amora." Loki greeted with a mocking smile. "Banishment has done wonders for your hair." 

"Good to see you too, Loki dear." Amora chuckled, summoning magic into her hands. 

"Jane, run deeper into the temple and hide." Loki whispered to her, the two backing away as Amora and Kurse advanced. He held one of his knives over his shoulder by the blade to give to her. "Kill anyone who finds you." 

"But I can help!" she protested, grabbing his knife anyway. 

"You can help by staying out of the way." he snapped at her. "I won't let my mother's death be in vain." 

He watched her face grow pale before she hesitantly nodded and ran off as fast as she could, clutching the dagger in her hand. 

"Take care of Thor, will you?" Amora purred, and Kurse followed her orders, stomping away towards the Thunderer as he was distracted by the attacking elves. 

"Shall we?" Loki asked with mock politeness before the two lunged towards each other. 

Thor was easily beating the elves that came at him. His lightning fried their ships, sending them crashing into the earth, and his hammer knocked any who tried charging or firing at him away with ease.

He was doing very well until he was suddenly punched so hard, he dropped his hammer and went crashing into the side of a hill. Coughing the dust that flew up with the impact, he looked up in surprise only to find the beast that killed his mother marching towards him. 

Thor's face twisted in rage and he pushed himself up. "What are you?" he hissed, only to be met with silence and a dead stare. 

Thor reached out his hand and summoned his hammer back to him, but was completely flabbergasted when the beast hit the hammer away, sending it crashing into the earth. 

"H-How-?" Thor forced himself to shake out of his shock, summoning his hammer again now that it wouldn't have to cross Kurse's path to get to him. "You'll pay for killing my mother." 

Thor rushed into battle against the beast, attempting to slam his hammer into its head, but it raised its arm to block his attack and instead sent a blow to his gut that knocked him backward. Thor struggled to regained his balance and catch his breath as he got into a fighting stance with a scowl.

 **"Didn't... mean... to..."** a hoarse voice slowly came out of the beast as it stepped towards him. 

It sounded like a dead man speaking, but what really disturbed him... was how _young_ it sounded. Like a teenage boy was trapped within that horrible creature, unable to control his own body. Its purple eyes didn't look dead anymore, but rather... fearful, and tired, barely able to force out its next words. 

**"Kill... me..."**

Thor's heart dropped as the beast charged towards him, ready to tear him apart. 

This was definitely not going to be easy. 

Magic and blades clashed against each other as Amora and Loki struck at each other, moving back and forth with each other as though they were caught in a dance of death. Amora was as fierce a fighter as Loki remembered, mostly relying on her magic to strike at him. Loki was faster, able to dodge and block her attacks, as long as his focus was on the fight. 

"Your stance is still all wrong!" he mocked after he dodged another of her attacks. 

"You were always such a perfectionist!" she called, moving backward and flinching her head away as Loki attempting to cut across her face. "Why are we even fighting, Loki?! We should be on the same side!" 

She ducked down and slammed her foot into his stomach, sending him stumbling back with a grunt as he wrapped an arm around his _definitely_ bruised stomach. A crash somewhere beyond the temple caught his attention and he turned his head to see what was happening. Past the fallen ship he could see Thor fighting against Kurse. But instead of seeing Thor pummel that thing into the ground as he'd expected, Thor was stumbling backward and struggling to block every one of the beast's savage blows. 

He was yanked back into his own fight when a blast his him in the chest, knocking the air out of him as he was thrown into the side of the ship. 

"Someone's losing their touch~!" Amora said in a mocking, sing-song voice as she blasted yellow-green magic at him again. 

He shook off his surprise and rolled out of the way, the blast hitting the side of the ship with a loud _BANG!_ He had to summon a green shield to protect himself from the metal debris that flew out from the explosion. When the dust began to settle, he sent his shield towards Amora to force her back before he lunged towards her. A strong sense of urgency filled his body as he slashed his daggers at her, cutting across her cheek as she moved back. She summoned her own small dagger and stabbed it into his shoulder, white hot pain shooting through his body and forcing him to stumble back again. 

He took in quick, sharp breaths through clenched teeth as he reached up to pull the small dagger out of his shoulder, tossing it aside. "I-I'm impressed, I didn't think you'd branch out to blades." 

"I live to impress." She smirked and lunged towards him with a yell, blasting magic towards him again.

But he managed ducked down just in time before he jabbed his dagger upwards, forcing a cry out of her as the blade sunk into her side. He then threw her back into the wall of the temple, a yelp escaping her as she slid down to the floor. 

The two took a moment to breathe, both panting as they held their stab wounds. 

"Why do you fight for them?" she asked with a pained hiss. "For Asgard? For _Odin_?" The word left her mouth with almost the same disdain that Loki said it with all the time. "After they left you to _rot_?" 

"My reasons vary from moment to moment." he replied with a single-shoulder shrug. 

The comment got a small laugh out of the enchantress. "We used to cause trouble together, Loki. Have you forgotten?" 

"...No, I haven't." It was the one thing that remained consistent, despite the tampering with his memories. After a moment, he took a step forward, sheathing his remaining dagger and extending a hand to her to help her up. "I wish more than anything that we could go back to that." 

She stared at him for a moment, surprise painted over her face before she gave him a sad smile, something incredibly rare coming from her. "I hoped we could be friends again, too..." 

She reached up to take his hand... and then threw dust in his face. He stumbled back, coughing and waving his hands to get rid of the dust all around him. And when he finally got his bearings again, Amora was gone, and he could hear her retreating footsteps echoing through the ruins of the temple. Honestly, he wasn't surprised. Not at all. She had always been a lot like him. Even so, he almost wanted to go after her to give her a piece of his mind for throwing dust at him. 

But then, he felt a small hand on his. Looking down at his younger self, he was met with a fearful expression. The boy was pointing towards Thor, as if he was begging him to go after him. Loki's gaze fell on where the boy was pointing, and there on the battlefield, he saw that Thor had fallen, and the beast was pummeling him into the ground. The annoyance at Amora was quickly doused with cold, agonizing dread that mirrored the boy's expression. This thing was just as strong as his brother if not more...

And that meant there was a chance Thor would lose. 

He couldn't let that thing take away the only family he had left. So he ran, racing through the debris and the dust and the corpses of dark elves. Some elves still standing tried to stop him, and they were taken care of within seconds, left behind in the dirt with slit throats. 

The world vanished, and all that mattered was getting to Thor. 

Jane raced through the temple, taking as many turns as she could until she found a small room and rushed inside, hiding behind the wall and trying to catch her breath. She hated hiding while her boyfriend and his brother were fighting the elves to protect her, but she knew she would just get in the way. She was a human, she couldn't exactly do much against freaking aliens. 

_Humans have their own strength, smart Jane._ the Aether said. _As do you._

"Yeah, well, I need actual strength." she sighed before she heard a whirring sound coming from nearby. 

She barely had enough time to duck before purple blasts flew over Jane's head. She didn't waste any time in fleeing her not-so-safe hiding spot, just barely catching sight of Malekith standing nearby with a large gun attached to his forearm as she bolted out of the room. 

"Return the Stone to me and perhaps you will leave unharmed!" the king snarled, blasting her again. 

She ducked out of the way, the blast hitting a column and sending dust and debris down over them. The Stone thrummed in her head, whacking the stones away as she kept running down the hall. When she looked back, she saw that the fallen debris had forced the king to slow down, giving her time to turn down another hall. Unfortunately for her, that hall was blocked off by even more debris, leaving only a room to her left to escape into. 

Large statues lined the walls of the room, though several were broken and the floors were cracked. The only one that looked like an elf was pretty damaged, missing one of its hands and ears, holding an ax over its shoulder. The rest were animals similar to large felines. Jane raced to hide behind the elven statue and tried to quiet her panting, her heart pounding in her chest as she heard Malekith's footsteps drawing near. She heard them begin to slow, and she heard him enter the room. 

"So much for a Chosen, aren't you?" she heard him chuckle maliciously, his voice echoing slightly off the walls. "Hiding away like a cowardly little mouse?" 

She swallowed nervously as she tried to think of some way out, clutching the knife close to her chest, ready to start swinging if he got near. 

"I will find you." he snarled and when she peered out from behind the statue, she saw him on the other side of the room, looking behind the other statues. "You're no Chosen. You're weak, _pathetic_." 

She tried her best to ignore his words, despite how much they stung, ducking back behind the statue. 

"Without Thor, without the Stone, you are _nothing_!" 

She flinched at his snarling yell, at his taunting voice as he tried to force her to react in a way that would allow him to find her. And for a moment, she believed him. She was just a human, who just so happened to stumble on Thor when he came to earth, who just happened to stumble on the Aether... 

But then she remembered what the Aether had told her earlier. Reality was hers to change, the only limit was her imagination and her confidence. 

She heard him getting closer, but she couldn't make out what exactly what else he was saying. The thrumming in her head was getting louder, more powerful, wild and furious. Just as he rounded the corner of the statue, she let out a yell and thrust her hands out, blasting him away with red electricity. She heard him cry out as he smashed into the wall, but he was quick to get back to his feet. 

Jane stepped out from behind the statue and moved towards him, red electricity sparking all around her body. "You know... I'm tired of everyone telling me what I can and can't do." 

She threw her hands down and magic spread all throughout the room, moving up into the statues, whose eyes glowed maroon and they stepped down from their pedestals. The big cats shook themselves before they began to snarl, moving to stand alongside Jane. 

Malekith's purple eyes were blown wide, horrified and in awe all at once. "H-How?" 

Jane grinned. "I'm not letting anyone knock me down." 

More soldiers rushed into the room, guns lighting up with purple energy, but they all gawked at the stones brought to life. Jane looked up at the elven statue and moved her arm forward, watching as the statue did the same. With a smirk on her face, she lifted up her right arm and thrust it down. The statue did the same, lifting up the ax it held in its right hand and slamming it down right in the middle of the soldiers, the force of the blow knocking several off their feet. The lions rushed forward with mighty roars, the blasts chipping away at the stone, but it wasn't enough to keep them from ramming into their enemies. A few tried to blast at Jane, but she lifted up her arms to form an 'X', the blasts bouncing off her maroon shield. 

In the midst of the chaos, she noticed Malekith escaping the room while his soldiers were all being knocked around like rag dolls, and Jane found herself grinning, triumphant, and proud... until she heard thunder clapping so fiercely, she could feel the agony that radiated from them.

_Thor._


	16. Sacrifice

Sharp claws scraped across Thor's armor as he stumbled back to avoid another of Kurse's attacks, his mind running wild as he tried to think of some way to kill this thing. It was insanely strong, and Thor had the bruised ribs to prove it. He couldn't remember the last time he actually felt this much pain in a fight, it made it hard to focus. Especially after this creature revealed an actual _person_ inside it. 

Panting and wiping blood from his lip, he lunged forward and sent his hammer flying down onto the creature's head with a CRACK! It stumbled back from the blow, and Thor swung his hammer upwards, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he channeled crackling lightning into his hammer. But even though his hammer had helped him win many fights, this time, his loyal weapon was smacked away by the creature and sent flying into the earth several hundred yards away. It struck again so fast Thor didn't have time to react, its claws tearing across his cheek and sending pain flashing through his face. 

He stumbled back and grabbed at his bloodied face, gasping as he tried to deal with it, the hard blow along with the flash of pain making him feel light-headed. In his dazed state, the beast charged at him and knocked him down to the ground before it began pummeling down on him. Thor grunted and yelped with every strike, throwing his arms up to defend himself as he was barely given a chance to recover from one blow before the next fell upon him. 

Thor's heart was beating so loudly, it was all he could hear, and all he could feel were the hard blows that came, again and again, threatening to break his already bruised arms. He couldn't get away, couldn't move his arms unless he wanted a quick end. Dread began to settle in his stomach as he realized that he wasn't getting out of this. He would fall to the beast that killed his mother. Tears pricked at his eyes and he found himself praying for Loki to take Jane and run as far as they could from this planet. He prayed for their safety, and he prayed that his mother would forgive him. 

As Kurse reared back to prepare another painful blow, a spear suddenly pierced right through its chest, ceasing its attacks. The Thunderer panted and dropped his arms, looking past the creature to see Loki standing there, glaring at it. The beast slowly turned to face Loki, and Thor felt relief wash over him. Loki... He came back for him. 

He watched Loki take his eyes of the beast to glance at him, just for a split second, as if to make sure he was alright. Neither of them expected the beast to grab him within that very brief window and yank him right onto the spear that was protruding from its chest. 

Loki barely even managed a gasp of pain as the air was knocked out of him, eyes wide as he stared at the soulless eyes of the creature. 

"...LOKI!!" 

It felt as though the air had been stolen out of his very lungs, as though his heart had stopped. He watched with wide, horrified eyes as the beast threw his brother away like trash, and Loki crashed to the ground with a pained grunt, clutching at his wound. 

A seething, bloodthirsty rage that Thor had never experienced in his life took over, like a demon of Hel itself was possessing him. The next thing he knew, he was on his feet, Mjolnir back in his hand and he slammed it into the beast's face with a roar of fury. It sent the beast tumbling back, and as it was recovering from the sudden blow to the face, Thor grabbed at the spear and yanked it upwards.

With a furious roar, it reached up to grab the blade, managing to stop it just before it could reach the creature's shoulder. Thor struggled to force the blade to continue on its path, teeth clenched and beads of sweat sticking his hair to his face as he glared into the beast's eyes. And he was quite startled when a dagger flew past him and into the creature's eye with a horrible squelch. 

An unnerving screeching sound came from the beast as it reached up to grab at its face. Thor's head whipped around to see where it had come from, only to stare at his brother... standing, with his arm still extended from when he'd thrown the dagger, his other hand pressed against his chest. Thor found himself gawking at the sight of his brother standing with a damn hole in his chest. 

"D-Don't just stand there...!" Loki snapped at him, forcing Thor out of his shock. "Kill it...!" 

Thor looked back at the beast as the Kurse pulled the dagger out of its eye, black liquid spilling down the side of its disfigured face. In the corner of his eye, he could see Loki limping towards the body of another fallen elf as Thor yanked the spear upwards and tore it right through Kurse's shoulder. But it _just kept going_ , marching forward as more black liquid spilled down its body, its hand drawing back to strike at Thor, but he didn't hesitate to this time thrust the spear into the beast's neck. 

He could hear it making nauseating choking sounds, but it just _wouldn't stop moving_ , still trying to reach out and grab Thor. And then another spear tore right across its throat, severing it from its body and sending it toppling to the side. The brothers moved in sync, stabbing their spears down and into the creature's head with a disgusting _CRACK_. 

And then there was silence, save the brothers' unified panting. But he didn't feel any satisfaction in the victory... not after that creature had practically begged him to end its misery... At least he had granted its wish... 

Thor finally looked up at his brother, gawking as he stared at the still-bleeding wound in his chest. "H-How...?" 

Loki looked up at him, still panting, and gave him a wry, bloody smile, his face becoming a sickly ashen grey. "I've... had worse..." 

And then he collapsed. 

Loki honestly hadn't expected to last so long, and yet here he was, stubbornly clinging to life with an iron grip just long enough to help his brother finally destroy the monster that murdered their mother. But when what little strength had left him, he completely expected to crash into the ground, bracing himself for the agony to pierce through his chest when he hit the ground. But instead, he was caught by a pair of familiar arms and held up against a broad chest. 

"Loki!" 

Despite his much less painful landing, stabbing pain shot through his ribs with every breath he forced into his lungs, the world around him becoming muffled as spots danced across his vision. He could feel a hand pressed against the back of his head, keeping it against someone's shoulder as he was lowered. His eyes slowly focused on the fearful face of his brother hovering above him, wide blue eyes darting over the wound in his chest. 

"B-Brother..." Loki forced out through his ragged breathing. He was okay... Thor was okay... Somehow, that was all that mattered. 

His brother's eyes were wild with panic, his hand hovering a few inches over the wound, as if fearful of causing more damage by accident. If Loki weren't the one bleeding out, he'd smack his brother on the head to snap him out of his shock. "O-Oh gods, hold on, _please_ hold on...!" 

Loki clenched his teeth with a sharp hiss when his body shook, jostling his already aching chest and sending more jolts of pain through him. It hurt to breathe, much less talk... But he had to tell Thor where the stone would be safest, for him and his lover. "K-Knowhere... t-take the stone... to Knowhere... the Collector..." 

"Shh, s-shh..." Thor shushed him, no doubt seeing just how much pain he was in, his eyes full of tears. "D-Don't, just... just rest, you'll be okay..." 

Loki turned his eyes towards the dead landscape around them, and he could almost imagine a stone temple towering above him, the freezing chill of his realm settling deep into his bones. But instead of lying on a rock to die, he was held in the arms of someone who cared... if only a little... 

"It's a fitting e-end, I suppose..." Loki spoke up through short breaths, his eyes low as his mind drifted. "For a giant... born in a wasteland..."

"Stop it...!" Loki could feel Thor's calloused and slightly bloodied hand gently press against his cheek, his thumb brushing across his skin almost desperately. "You... you're not dying here...!" 

He felt little wet droplets fall on his neck and in his lethargic state, he briefly wondered if it had begun raining. He felt Thor's hand leave his face and heard the sound of fabric rustling before he was brought back to reality with a jolt of pain. He gasped out and glanced down, his eyes focusing on the red that covered his body. But... it wasn't blood. It was Thor's cape, and pressed firmly against his wound was Thor's hand. 

"I'll- I'll take you home, I'll tell Father what you did, a-and you'll be free, j-just... just don't..." Thor couldn't finish, getting choked up as his face twisted in agony and grief. Loki couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Thor cry. 

"...I didn't do it for him..." Loki whispered as the darkness crept into his vision and his mind began to drift. 

So brief... and yet held so much more... 

Then he was gone... 

And all Thor could do was scream. 

The dark clouds had somehow grown darker, swirling together like a tornado was about to form, lightning flashing across the sky with booming thunder to accompany it. But Thor didn't even notice the gathering storm. All he could focus on was the feeling of his brother's head limply resting on his shoulder as his hand cupped the back of his head, clutching him close as he rocked back and forth, screaming curses at the Norns and the universe for taking his brother away a second time. 

"Y-You fool..." he choked out when his voice finally grew tired of screaming, but it was all he could string together in his grief.

Loki should've just run away, should've just taken Jane and escaped, should have run somewhere far far away... He would have gladly taken Loki's place instead... Even now, it felt like he'd taken the savage blow that had killed his brother instead. If only that were true... He never imagined that it would end like this, so suddenly... and it was so much worse than watching Loki fall from the Bifrost. They had just begun repairing what they'd thought to be broken... and his second chance had been ripped away from him. 

He didn't hear the footsteps beginning to approach him from behind, too focused on cradling his little brother to pay attention to the rest of the world. He moved his hand to gingerly cup the side of his brother's neck, just like had always done... and Loki would smile that genuine smile he had learned to treasure as they grew... Now he'd never get to see his little brother smile again, never get to hear his laughter or listen to the sarcastic remarks that always got a laugh... 

Loki was gone... just like Mother... and now he was truly alone. 

"Now you know how it feels." a male voice said coldly, and there was whirring sound similar to the sound of Stark's blasters coming from just behind his head. "What it's like to lose _everything_ you love. And Odin will know that pain as well." 

There was a loud blast from behind him, and Thor flinched, clutching his little brother against him as he prepared to feel some sort of pain. But... it never came. Instead, red swirling magic had sent the elf crashing into the ground several feet away from Thor. The Thunderer looked up in surprise and had to stare in awe as his lover hit the elf with the Aether's magic, again and again, forcing him further back every time. 

"You're not hurting anyone else!" Jane snarled like a fierce lioness, eyes glowing maroon as she kept forcing the king back. 

The king tried to lift his blaster, but Jane formed a spear out of thin air and sent it right through it, rendering it useless and pinning the man to the ground. As Malekith furiously tried to free himself, Jane lowered her hands and looked back at Thor, the glow fading from her eyes before she covered her mouth, finally spotting Loki in his arms. 

_Jane_.

It felt as though life returned to his grief-stricken body when his eyes met hers. And when his eyes landed on Malekith, the king of the elves, lightning crackled up his arms, reflecting the anger that boiled in his chest. He very gingerly lowered his brother onto the ground, taking a few shaky deep breaths and brushing his little brother's hair back, before he stood up, his hammer flying back to him as he held out his hand. Thunder boomed above them and lightning tore across the sky as Thor made his way towards Malekith, eyes darkening like the gathering storm. 

"King Malekith." His voice was calm, but it held a barely-restrained fury that it rarely ever possessed. 

Jane stepped to the side a little as Thor walked past her, glaring at the dark elf. All this was because of him. Why else would the most elite parts of his army attack Asgard? Kurse was but a dead man walking, a puppet on strings, but this man... this man was the start of all this... 

Malekith stopped his struggles, looking up at Thor with narrowed eyes. "Odinson." His eyes darted over to where Kurse's crumpled body lay, then towards Loki. 

"Your beast killed my mother..." Thor could barely contain his anger, breathing heavily as his hammer crackled with lightning. "And now it took away my brother..." 

Malekith watched him for a moment before he coldly replied, "A brother for a brother." Then he gave him a cruel, sneering smirk, eager to dig the knife as deep as he could. "But a _Frost Giant_ will never see the gates of Valhalla." 

The reaction was almost immediate. Blue eyes lit up with power as he lifted his hammer, lightning striking down on the metal as he prepared to bring it down. Over the loud claps of thunder, he didn't hear the skiff approaching. And just as he was about to bring his fury down on the king, a small child suddenly rushed forward and stood in front of him, arms spread out. 

"Don't hurt my father!" 

Thor froze and the lightning vanished as he stared at the little elven girl standing before him. She stood straight like a soldier ready to defend, her face hard to mask her fear, but her eyes, though locked onto Thor's, were wide and shaking. 

"Alvilda...!" Malekith looked horrified and resumed his struggle to get the spear out of his armor. He would've gotten out if Jane hadn't summoned magic to keep the spear firmly embedded into the ground. "Alvilda, get out of here!" 

Thor was silent for a long moment, staring at the child as he very slowly lowered his hammer. But when his eyes moved back to Malekith, he could feel his breaths growing heavier with barely contained rage. "His beast killed my brother..." 

Alvilda's eyes darted past Thor and landed on his brother, her face seeming to pale further than was normal for her kind. But when she looked back up at Thor, her eyes were full of sympathy... and he felt as though he was staring down at Loki. 

"I-I know he's done bad things... b-but please don't take him away...!" she begged him, her voice shaky and thick with emotion. 

Her eyes were glossy and full of emotion, as if she too were grieved by Loki's loss, even though she probably didn't even know him by name. She looked so much like Loki as a child, it almost scared him... Thin frame, strong protective stance, big, empathetic eyes that made his heart clench... He could never say no to his little brother when they were children, not with those sweet green eyes... 

"...Your daughter is brave." Thor told Malekith after a long tense moment, turning his eyes towards the king. "Odin and his armies will be here soon. Take your child and your people into the stars, run far away from here, for he will have no mercy." Then his eyes grew cold once again and thunder boomed above them to emphasize his next words. "And if I ever see your face again, _neither will I_." 

With that, he placed Mjolnir on his belt and turned away, walking back to Loki's side. Jane warily kept her eyes on Malekith, finally lifting the spear out of his armor to let him up. 

"Alvilda, come, we must hurry." 

Alvilda looked up at her father as he urged her to follow him, his hand grasping her shoulder firmly. But she shrugged it off and shot him an angry glare. "I'm going with Mother, not with you." 

"Alvilda!" Malekith tried to follow her as she moved past the human to follow the Thunderer, but Jane's hands lit up threateningly, keeping her father from coming any closer. 

"He told you to leave." Jane almost growled, and Alvilda stopped behind her to watch them. 

Malekith glared at her. "I am not leaving without my daughter." 

After a moment, Jane's maroon magic faded away. "I'll make sure she gets to a ship." 

"And what makes you think I'll trust you?" Malekith snarled. 

"I'm not the type of person to take away someone's child, like you." Jane retorted, and she saw the king flinch just a little. 

Malekith looked past her, giving Alvilda an imploring look, but she turned and kept walking towards Thor. 

"I hope it was worth it." she heard Jane tell her father and Alvilda glanced back to see her father speeding off towards home. 

She continued forward, slowing down beside the prince as she stared down at the body of his fallen brother. "What was his name?" 

"...His name was Loki..." he replied, his voice low and thick with grief. 

Alvilda frowned and slowly knelt down beside him, looking over the raven-haired man's peaceful face. These men were meant to be her enemy... but all she could see was a family, a family her father tore apart... She wished she could fix her father's mistakes, but... no one could fight death herself. All she could do was honor him. 

She reached out to gently place a hand on Loki's forehead, trying not to shiver at how cold his skin was, and began to murmur in Old Elven, a prayer her mother had taught her long ago. 

_"For the battle you fought, may you find solace in your victory, and may the sun shine on you as you make your way to the gates of Valhalla."_

She watched as a glowing purple mark began to form on the side of the young prince's neck, becoming the rune Sowilo... 

When the glow faded away, she very carefully pulled her hand away and looked back up at the eldest prince. "He will be honored among my people." Alvilda promised him. It was the least she could do, for one who lost his life righting her father's wrongs. 

Thor was staring at the rune with wide eyes, but her voice seemed to snap him out of it and he quickly tried to wipe away his tears, which she thought was silly, because anyone would cry for their family. 

"Thank you..." Thor nodded to her after giving up his attempts at stopping his tears, giving her a weak smile. "You'll be a good queen one day, young one..." 

She smiled back a little and placed a hand on his shoulder like she'd seen her mother do whenever someone was sad before she stood up and went back to Jane. When she stopped beside the human woman, she could feel her eyes well up with tears, her heart full of sorrow for everyone her father hurt. 

"I'm sorry... for everything my father did..." she said to the woman, but she knew sorry wouldn't bring back the people they lost... 

Jane knelt down in front of her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and giving her a soft smile. "Hey... it's not your fault... He made his choices. You just have to be better, okay?" 

Alvilda slowly nodded, and she couldn't help but throw her arms around Jane tightly. "I will... Thank you, Jane... In a way, you did save us." 

She had to smile softly when Jane hugged her back. Even though they were supposed to be enemies, and the Aether was supposed to be Svartlheim's... she was glad she got to meet Jane the Midgardian. 

When they pulled away, Jane gently picked up some dirt in her palm, breathing over the dead earth and urging a single flower to bloom out of it. Alvilda's eyes were bright with awe as Jane waved a finger around the dirt, forming a small pot around it before she held out the beautiful flower to the girl. Each petal's base colored in purple that faded to pink, like the dawn of a new day, and it almost seemed to radiate with hope. 

"A gift from the Aether." Jane smiled softly, a small skiff forming a few feet away for Alvilda to take, with a little compartment just for the flower. "Build something new, okay?" 

Alvilda tearfully smiled and carefully took the plant, nodding before she climbed onto the skiff. "I will. Thank you." 

Jane smiled softly at her. "Take care, Alvilda." 

She smiled and nodded before she drove off towards the ships to help with the evacuation. She'd build something new, somewhere far away, and she'd bring honor back to the dark elves. This she swore to all the stars in the night sky. 

Thor and Jane sat together for what felt like hours as the elves climbed aboard their ships and took off into the stars, disappearing through the polluted clouds. Thor didn't even notice the Bifrost open up until Jane nudged him gently. He looked towards it and wiped his eyes, taking in a shaky breath. He waited for the armies to come through, but they never did. 

Slowly, Thor wrapped his cape around his brother's body before gingerly picking him up and walking towards the Bifrost. He didn't care if he would be met with anger from his father for disobeying him, if his friends would scold him for going alone with a traitor like Loki, he didn't even care if they'd be met with celebration for the defeat of the dark elves. None of that mattered.

All that mattered was bringing his baby brother home. 


	17. Reborn

It was so dark and cold, and it felt like he was floating... Like he'd been swallowed by some sort of void. Where was he? _Who_ was he? He couldn't move, couldn't scream. Or maybe he was screaming, he just couldn't hear himself. 

Then, he heard a sound... crying. A baby crying? 

He forced his eyes open. His vision was incredibly blurry, but he could see a pair of fuzzy faces above him. He was pressed against something warm and he couldn't help but nestle into it. 

_"What should we name him?"_ a masculine voice asked, and he could just barely make out red eyes on a blue-skinned face. 

A second voice hummed, and he was able to make out deep green eyes on a light-skinned face, full of warmth and love as a hand gingerly began caressing his cheek. 

_"I think we should name him..."_

They both suddenly faded away, leaving him in terrifying darkness once more, and he felt like he was lying on some sort of rock. The wind was howling around him, there were angry yells outside. He wailed, trying to call them back to him, trying with all his might to move, to go and find them. 

But eventually, someone answered him. Not the people from before, someone else. A blurry light-skinned face, with a single icy blue eye. He was lifted up into warm arms and he calmed, feeling safe once again. Don't leave, please...! 

In the blink of an eye, he was in someone else's arms, surrounded by warmth. He was met with a new face, and he could see her smile at him. He could feel love radiating from her, just like he'd felt with the other woman, and he felt himself smiling back. 

_"We shall call him Loki."_

Loki. That was his name. Loki. He liked the name. 

Then he was suddenly upright and moving, struggling to stay on his feet, arms waving around. 

_"Come on, Kiki...!"_

He looked up to find someone crouched a few feet away. He was smaller than the others, with big blue eyes and the same golden hair as the new lady. He was smiling, his arms held out in front of him, as if urging him to come to him. 

_“Come to brudder!"_

Loki laughed and excitedly stumbled forward, reaching out for his brudder. If he fell, Tor would catch him. 

Then he was lying in the grass, the stars shining above him. Someone lay beside him, her arm draped over his chest. When he turned his head, he was met with gorgeous blue eyes and cute, freckled face... And he realized he had never felt happier. 

Then he was in a golden hallway, walking up to his brother's side. Thor looked older but no wiser than he had been several centuries ago. He felt awkward, standing next to him... even angry. He was... jealous? Why? 

A guard approached them, holding out a helmet to the older brother. Ah, yes. The ceremonial helmet, given to the next king of Asgard. That must be why he was jealous. But the silly thing looked ridiculous with those feathers on it. 

_"Ooh. Nice feathers."_ He smirked at Thor tauntingly. 

But Thor just chuckled and turned to him, eyes shining with mirth. He had that stupid smile on his face, the one that he rarely saw anymore. It made his heart ache guiltily for some reason. _"You don't really want to start this again do you, goat?"_ he asked, and he flicked Loki's own horned helmet. 

_"I was being sincere!"_ Loki said in mock offense, though he could feel himself grinning. 

_"You are incapable of sincerity."_ Thor scoffed at him. 

Loki folded his arms with a playfully raised eyebrow. "Am _I?"_

_"Yes...!"_

Loki chuckled a little and glanced off for a moment. _"I've looked forward to this day as long as you have."_ he told his brother before he could stop himself. 

Yes, he had looked forward to this day. But... it was too soon for Thor. He was still so childish, so hungry for war, he wasn't ready. That's why he opened that portal for the Frost Giants to sneak in... 

_"You're my brother and my friend."_ He looked back at Thor and watched his brother's expression soften into something more fond, and Loki hated the way it felt like his heart was out on display. They hadn't been close for a long time... But it felt like this might be his only chance to say anything before he would be cast to the side again.

That was why they hadn't been close for so long, isn't it? Because of his envy...? And yet... here he was, holding his heart out to his brother and admitting to so much that he'd hidden for so long... and he found himself hoping that... maybe they could be close again. 

_"Sometimes I'm envious..."_ he admitted softly, glancing up at his brother and giving him a soft, loving smile that he hadn't felt himself make in so long. _"But never doubt that I love you..."_

Thor smiled softly at him and reached out to him, placing his hand in the crook of Loki's neck like it were the most natural thing in the world. And Loki felt shame for allowing a way for the Frost Giants to get in. It had been so long since they'd shown this kind of affection towards each other, and it was happening while Frost Giants were making their way into Asgard to ruin Thor's big day. Maybe he should reconsider this, maybe he should alert someone, maybe--

 _"Thank you."_ Thor interrupted his train of thought, smiling at his little brother. 

And his words... made Loki's heart break. That's it? Just... 'thank you'? No 'I'm sorry for ignoring you for so long,' no 'I want you to help me rule, just like we planned when we were kids,' no... 'I love you too'? 

...no. Of course not. Thor, the stupid, oblivious oaf... he'd never say such things. He would never make himself vulnerable, never admit he needed help... He probably didn't even think anything was wrong with their relationship. 

A cold, steely resolve engulfed his heart, the walls he'd briefly let down rising again with a vengeance, stronger than ever before. He gave his brother a smirk, eager to rid them of the sentiment that hung between them. _"Now give us a kiss."_

Thor laughed and playfully shoved him away before holding up a finger. _"Stop it...!"_

Much better. 

He watched as Thor walked away, left alone in the golden halls he grew up in. He still felt guilt for bringing those beasts into the kingdom... but he knew now more than ever Thor just wasn't ready. And even though he felt envy and anger coil around his heart like thorns... there was still just a tiny, glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe... their strained bonds could be restored... 

But then he felt a large hand grip his shoulder, and he felt frozen with fear. 

**"Your brother will not save you."** a low, cold voice told him. 

And then he felt the pain. It was unbearable, it made his vision go white, erasing the beautiful scene before him and replacing it with horrific screams. Were those his screams? They sounded so inhuman... He tried to fight, tried to get away, but there were cold cuffs clamped around his wrists and the pain just increased with his struggling. 

_"THOR!!"_ he found himself screaming, again and again and again, desperately calling out for his help, hoping against all odds that somehow he would answer.

 **"He abandoned you."** His tormentor was circling him, like a predator around his trapped prey. **"They see you as nothing more than a tool,** **as a monster."**

Memories flashed through his mind. He was standing in the vault, watching as Odin began to crumble due to the Odinsleep, but he didn't even notice, screaming at him in complete anger. _"_ _You know it all makes sense now, why you favored **Thor** all these years! Because no matter how much you claim to LOVE ME, you could never have a **Frost Giant** sitting on the throne of Asgard!" _

No, no, no, that- that wasn't true...! They'd save him, _Thor_ would save him...! 

He must've said that out loud because another spike of pain shot through him. 

**"Your brother let you fall."**

N-No, no, he didn't...! 

_"Loki, no!"_ Thor was reaching for him, trying to save him. 

**"He let you fall. He won't save you."**

A little boy smiled at him in the dim light of his room. _"No monster will take you, because I'm going to protect you and always be by your side, always."_

He just wanted it all to stop... 

A scepter with a glowing blue stone was pressed against his chest. 

**"When I found you, you were no one... Now you have a purpose."**

He was walking down a flight of stairs, a staff in his hand. There was a crowd, but he was focused on one man. He needed his eye. A security guard tried to stop him, so he smacked him away. People were shocked and he moved past them swiftly. In the corner of his eye, he saw someone. A flash of golden hair. But he couldn't stop, so he just kept going. 

The world was burning, the Chitauri were invading. This was his fault. But they wouldn't let him go. 

He squeezed his eyes shut, just wanting it all to stop. The cold winds returned, but now, he felt a hand touch the side of his face. Warm, familiar... 

Mama...? 

_"As long as I draw breath, Death will never take you..."_

A gentle kiss was placed on his forehead before the comforting warmth pulled away. 

  
Loki's eyes flew open with a loud gasp, his body jerking as it suddenly started working again. The pain hit him first and he quickly began coughing harshly, moving his hands to grab at his chest as he tried to catch his breath. It took him a good minute or two before he was able to get a good look at his surroundings and realize where he was. He was... in the healing room? Surrounded by corpses of dead elves lying on every bed? The hell happened? 

With a groan, he slowly began to push himself up with his elbows, wincing as the pain faded to a dull throb. He raised a hand to rub his forehead before his eyes caught sight of his clothes. He was wearing white armor with golden thread embroidered into it. These were traditional funeral garbs, why the hell was he...? 

_"I didn't do it for him..."_

Svartlheim. They went to rescue Jane... The elves attacked, Amora was there... the creature was hurting Thor... and then...

Loki slowly rubbed his chest. How...? He jumped off the bed and rushed over to a mirror hanging on a nearby wall, quickly throwing his vest open. An ugly pink scar ran down the center of his chest, and it still hurt to breathe. Oh, wonderful, another one to add to the collection.

Just as he was buttoning up his vest, he paused, spotting some sort of mark on his neck. It was a rune. He gingerly traced his fingers over it, wondering where it came from. Perhaps Thor, the sentimental oaf, had asked Eir to paint it on due to some silly notion that a rune meaning victory and solace would get him to Valhalla. He leaned his hands against the mirror, trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened. He was supposed to be dead, he _remembered_ dying, how in the world was he still alive? His stomach twisted as the full weight of what had happened to him fell on his shoulders.

He _died,_ and for whatever reason, here he was. He took a minute to just process everything, panting and wincing when he breathed in a little too deeply. Damn, this thing would definitely be hurting for a while. So... what to do now? Odin wouldn't care what he did. He'd probably assume it was just a trick, and then throw him back into the dungeons. Or just try to kill him again. Possibly permanently. The Norns just loved tormenting him, didn't they? 

As he tried to figure out what to do now, he heard footsteps pass the healing room accompanied by voices. 

"It would seem Loki did have a heart after all, if he sacrificed himself for Thor..." 

"Poor Odinson, he's so heartbroken, near inconsolable..." 

Thor... He should find Thor. Maybe then he could figure something out. 

"Perhaps it's better this way, Loki brings nothing but pain wherever he goes." 

He winced at that last comment but made sure not to make a sound. He waited until the servants passed him by before summoning an illusion of an Asgardian soldier to disguise himself. The last thing he needed was to frighten everyone in the palace. And after he dragged one of the bodies onto the bed he'd previously occupied and made another illusion disguise it as himself just in case, he set off to find Thor. Knowing him, he was probably moping in his chambers. It must have only been a few hours since they returned from Svartlheim because the sun was just about ready to set. 

Every servant that passed him by was talking about the incident. How heartbroken his brother was over the deaths of his mother and brother, how Odin had arranged a funeral for Loki just as he had with Frigga. But overall, no one seemed too sad about his own death. If anything... they almost looked relieved. But he did his best to ignore them and keep going, walking swiftly to Thor's chambers. He stopped at the strong, oak door with a hammer carved into it and he noticed that it had been left slightly ajar. 

He very gently pushed the door open a crack and peered inside. Lying on the large bed was his brother, curled up and resting on the lap of his human lover. He was turned away from the door, but Loki could see his shoulders shake with every breath, only calmed by Jane's gentle fingers running through his hair. 

"We need to get to Knowhere... get the S-Stone away..." Thor was saying, his voice hoarse, but attempting to be strong. 

Jane bent down to gently kiss his forehead. "After the funeral... you need closure." she said in a sympathetic voice, frowning. "Then we'll get to Knowhere, drop the Stone off, and then..." She trailed off, looking uncertain about what would come after. 

Loki couldn't blame her. He was sure Odin had made it quite clear what he thought of her, and what Thor's duty was here on Asgard. 

"There is nothing left for me here..." Thor's voice drew his attention back. 

Jane frowned, perhaps thinking the same thing, before gingerly brushing Thor's cheek. "You can stay at my place... if you like." 

Loki heard Thor chuckle, very softly, his voice full of relief. "I'd like that..." 

Odin won't let him leave, Loki thought to himself. Odin was a stubborn mule, always thought he was right. And Thor... Thor could be stubborn, but eventually, he always did as his father asked. 

_"Loki brings nothing but pain wherever he goes."_

Loki gently placed a hand on the door... before pulling away and heading to Odin's chambers. Odin would never let him go. So he'd take things into his own hands. For once, he wanted to do something right. Maybe some part of him should have felt guilty, sneaking up on the old man and knocking him out with a spell while he was looking up at a portrait of Frigga. But he was much too focused on freeing his brother from what Odin wanted for his life to feel guilty. 

Odin's ravens stood on their perch by the bed, both staring at Loki with glowing green eyes. 

Loki pointed at them sternly. "Are you two going to be quiet or will I have to have raven for dinner?" 

The ravens stared at him for a moment, before simply went back to preening their feathers and Loki breathed a sigh of relief and got to work taking Odin's place. He wasn't quite sure what he'd do with Odin yet, but he made sure to cast a powerful spell that would keep the old man asleep for up to 24 hours. And once that was complete, he grabbed his staff and replaced his soldier disguise for Odin's. 

He could decide what to do with Odin later. Right now, he had a funeral to attend. 


	18. Lo, My Brother

Loki wasn't surprised to see that there weren't many people at the funeral. Honestly, he was surprised there was anyone at all. He passed by Sif and the Warriors Three, who all bowed their heads when he passed by, stopping beside Heimdall and Eir to observe the scene before him. The prince and his lover stood the closest to the pyre, with Jane holding his hand while Thor stared at the boat-shaped pyre the fake-Loki lay on. Loki had to admit, it was beautifully ornate, with intricate carvings all along its side and a pair of coiled serpents on the bow. 

But he had to ask the healer, "Are we not to give him the traditional Asgardian customs, Eir?" 

The Vanir looked up at him and gave him a sad smile, "Forgive me, Allfather... but Loki is as much a Frost Giant as he is Asgardian. He deserves a funeral fit for a Frost Giant prince, with a boat to symbolize his home here in Asgard." 

Loki was quiet at that, unsure of how to feel about that. 

Thor walked up to the pyre, drawing Loki's attention back to him, and placed something on the body's chest, tucking it just beneath its folded hands. Loki had to squint to try and figure out what it was but had no luck. As if they could read his mind, one of his father's ravens flew down to land on his shoulder and allowed him to see through its incredibly sharp eyes. It was... a bracelet? He furrowed his brow in a bit of confusion. It was a silver bracelet that had the form of a coiled serpent with green-jeweled eyes. It took him a moment to recognize whose bracelet it was... 

The other raven, Huginn, landed on a nearby tree just as Thor began to whisper to the body, and he too allowed Loki to listen through its ears. 

"I hope you are happy where you are, little brother... I pray that you and Sigyn spend eternity in the stars together, living the life you should have..." Loki watched as his brother tenderly brushed the fake's hair with a shaky hand. "I-It hurts, mourning you for a second time... but you gave your life for me... I'll live, for you, Kiki..."

Loki felt himself take in a shuddering breath at Thor's words and had to remind himself to calm down. But... hearing that childish nickname again, after centuries of distance... it made his heart clench. 

Thor lay a soft kiss on the fake's forehead, and Loki could see just a few tears running down his face. "No matter what they may say about a Frost Giant's death... I know I'll see you in Valhalla one day..." 

When Thor pulled away, Loki himself had to ignore the stinging in his eyes at his brother's words to focus on the bracelet. Heimdall stepped forward and handed Thor a lit torch, which he held out onto the pyre. As the flames began to grow and spread over the pyre, with a small movement of his fingers, willed the bracelet to fall into his dimensional pocket the moment the flames grew enough to hide the action, unable to watch such a precious thing melt away. 

The flames reflected off Thor's glossy eyes as the eldest prince wiped his tears away, Jane keeping his hand firmly in hers. The fake's ashes didn't turn into gold, as most Asgardian's ashes did. Instead, it turned into dark dust matching Svartlheim's. Loki saw the way Thor's shoulder fell when the ashes didn't turn gold and lift up into the stars as Mother's had, his face full of devastation. It made Loki's heart ache for him, and he couldn't help but move closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

"He's with Frigga now." Loki attempted to reassure his brother as Odin. 

"He should be here... They both should be." Thor replied softly, staring at the flames. "I wish we were children again... We had so much less to care about... We were friends... I-I wonder if he knew that I still thought we were..." 

Loki tried not to wince as he watched Thor's shoulders shake with emotion, his face pained and his fist clenched at his side. How he wanted to just drop the disguise and tell him that of course, he knew, but... Loki only hurt people. He hurt Thor, so many times... It was better this way. Thor could move on with his life. And maybe so could he. 

"He knew." Loki told him, hoping to reassure him. But he reminded himself that he had to sound convincing as Odin, if not to Thor, then to those around them. "The boy may have been too stubborn to accept it at first, but... I believe he knew." 

To his complete surprise, Thor's face twisted and he looked up at him sharply, even past his grieving tears. "W-Well... it was his birthright to die... right?" He spat back in who he thought was his father's face with venom that Loki had seldom heard. " _Congratulations_ , Father... he did. You were right, now both of them, the best of us all... are gone. I hope you're satisfied." 

Loki was stunned to silence as he watched his brother turn back to the now dying flames, his face falling back into grievance before he pulled Jane along and left. Everyone else there was just as shocked, he could tell by their faces, but they said nothing.

Loki stayed by the pyre until the flames died away, but the whole time, he just found himself reflecting on what just happened, replaying his brother's words over and over again. Even when he was thought dead, Thor defended him. From Odin. Sure, he wasn't the real Odin, but... Thor snapped at him, eyes burning with such protective anger, against the man that he thought had told his brother he was meant to die. Thor hadn't fully believed him before, but... it would seem that now he did. 

Only when he got to Odin's chambers did he drop the disguise and lean his back against the door, sliding down to the floor and struggled against the torrent of emotions swirling in his chest. At first, he allowed himself a small, relieved smile at the fact that Thor finally believed him, that he stood up to his own father for what he said even though he thought Loki was dead. But quickly, his smile faded, replaced with a twisted face and clenched fists. _Of course_ , he'd choose to defend him _after_ he was supposedly dead. Couldn't he have believed him before? Couldn't he have defended him before? 

But just as quickly as the anger came, it left, replaced with a heavy, regretful feeling in his chest that he was fairly certain wasn't his wound. Thor looked... _devastated_ at his funeral. So angry and melancholy, he didn't even pay attention to anyone other than Jane. Perhaps Thor felt regret, too... regret for doing too little too late. And besides... he had every right to distrust him... It wasn't like Loki was the most honest person in the Nine Realms... 

Those stupid birds just stared at him as he struggled to control his emotions, both sitting on the windowsill before Munnin decided to fly over and land on his shoulder, tugging at a few strands of his hair. 

Loki looked up at it and glared at the bird. "What do you want?" 

Munnin tilted his head at the trickster, blinking his glowing eyes. 

Loki sighed and wiped his glossy eyes before reaching up to scratch Munnin's chest. "Sorry... You know how I am." He sighed again and let his head fall back to thump against the door, glancing towards the bed where Odin was still sleeping. "I still have to get rid of him." 

It would be easy to just kill the king, but... he didn't want to. Mother, even though he still didn't understand it, loved Odin dearly. And Thor... perhaps he was angry now, but... this was still his father. Loki couldn't take away another parent of his... And besides... he hurt him enough. 

With another heavy sigh, he got up and got to work. It was relatively easy to find a suitable place to dump him on earth, but it was slightly harder to erase his memories of Asgard, and even harder to change him into physical beggar's clothing. He _seriously_ had to refresh himself on the spells that _actually_ changed clothes, not just disguised them. He used the same secret passageway he and his brother had gone through before to drop Odin off, and by the time he got back, he was exhausted. Using so much magic hours after he literally died drained him.

He was eager to get some sleep, but no way was he staying in this room. There were too many pictures of his mother here, and he didn't want to sleep with the thought that she was glaring at him throughout the night. So instead, he headed to his old room, the two ravens sitting on either shoulder to accompany him. He didn't bother disguising himself this time, the servants had been ordered to take the night off to mourn their queen and prince, as custom decreed it. 

He would admire how clean and untouched his room was in the morning. Right now, he just wanted to sleep after locking the door. The two ravens fluttered onto the windowsill as he made his way to bed. 

He got comfortable and opened up his dimensional pocket, holding out his hand as the bracelet dropped into it. He looked over its delicate features, holding it gingerly as if it were made of glass. Now that he had it in his hands, memories of the day he'd gifted it to Sigyn came back slowly. 

_"This is perfect for Sigyn...!" Loki grinned at the dwarven blacksmith. "Thank you, Sir Brokkr...!"_

_The dwarf chuckled at him and waved him off. "You'd best hurry along, young prince, don't wanna keep your ladyfriend waiting."_

_Loki felt the heat rise into his face before he hurried off, slipping the bracelet into his pocket. He ran through the streets of Asgard, jumping over crates and dodging men and women alike until he finally got back to the palace gardens. He looked around excitedly until he finally heard her. Her angelic voice was carried on the winds like the song of a siren. He moved around the hedges and the flowers until he reached the tree they always met under._

_There she was, singing to herself as she reached up to pick a golden apple from Idunn's lovely tree, but she was too short to reach it. Her singing ceased as she grumbled and used the green fan Loki had gifted her long ago to try and reach it. The sight made him snicker as he made his way towards her, summoning green magic into his hand to lower the branch just enough so she could finally grab it._

_"You're adorably short, you know." He smirked playfully._

_She looked back at him with a playful and cute little pout. "Not all of us can be born as tall as you and your brother, my dear." Then she gave him a smile and turned to him, holding the apple in her hand. "Now, what is it you called me here to see? It's getting late, the stars are already coming out."_

_He smiled and motioned her to follow, leading her just out from under the tree's branches before he lay down on the grass. She tilted her head and gave him a puzzled smile, but followed his lead and lay down next to him._

_"Close your eyes."_

_She raised an eyebrow but did as he asked. "If you summon a snake, I swear..."_

_He laughed and pulled out the bracelet, holding it a few inches over her face. "How did you guess?"_

_She warily opened her eyes, only to gawk at the beautiful bracelet he presented her with. "Oh, Loki...! It's beautiful...!"_

_He smiled and took her hand, slipping it onto her dainty wrist. "So you'll always have something to remember me by."_

_She had to laugh and shifted onto her side, wrapping an arm around him and cuddling close. "I love it...!"_

_He smiled as he turned his head to face her properly, his eyes locking onto her gorgeous blue eyes and a radiant smile. Above them, the stars twinkled and shone, and he realized that he had never felt happier._

_"And I love you, Songbird."_

_This was where he was meant to be._

Loki smiled weakly as the memory played in his mind, shifting onto his side the same way he had before. But he was met with an empty space beside him, all alone. Even though he hadn't seen her in centuries, had almost forgotten about her... he still loved her just as much as he had during those early days. But... at least now he had some piece of her... He gently set the bracelet down on the empty space beside him, watching it until he finally drifted off to sleep. 

Of course, his sleep wasn't exactly peaceful. He was back on earth, in Germany, making his way down those flights of stairs. He had no control of his limbs, nothing but a puppet on strings. But as he swung his staff to hit the security guards, he found himself wondering why here? New York made sense, the sight of a burning city haunted him. His time after the fall... he still carried those scars. 

But why _here_ of all the places that his memories could've brought him? 

He was missing something. He could feel it in his bones, as he made his way through the stunned crowd. Startled, horrified faces surrounded him and he spotted something, in the corner of his eye. He was passing by a woman, and he briefly caught her gaze. 

Blue eyes, wide with shock, her golden hair tied up in a bun. Dozens of freckles dotting her face like stars in the night sky. 

His eyes shot open and he jolted back up with a gasp, not caring how he startled the ravens sleeping on either side of his pillow. 

_Sigyn._


	19. Saying Goodbye

Jane looked around at the alien creatures all around them, Thor's arm wrapped securely around her waist, though she didn't know if it was to keep anyone from grabbing her or to keep her from wandering off and exploring. Either way, made her feel a lot safer in this unknown world. Or, in this... floating skull world... 

"Do you even know who this Collector guy is?" she asked him, stepping over a weird dog... worm... thing as it scurried along. 

"I do not." he replied, keeping his eyes forward. "But Loki must've trusted him if he wanted us to leave the Aether here." 

At the mere mention of his brother, Jane watched his face drop just a little, his blue eyes growing mournful. She wished he'd stayed home and properly mourned before going on this trip, but he was too stubborn to let anyone else bring her here. 

"We should ask someone where we can find him." Jane suggested, and after a moment, Thor nodded. 

She looked around before she spotted an alien man at a stall selling some sort of metal parts. Taking a small nervous breath, she reminded herself she had the God of Thunder and the Aether on her side before she marched up to him. 

"Erm, excuse me?" she said politely, the man looking up at her with an annoyed expression. "Do you know where we can find the Collector?" 

"Unless you got units, I ain't saying nothing." 

Jane was about to ask what units were when Thor lit up with lightning behind her, successfully frightening the man. 

"T-That way, just down the road, you'll meet a woman named Carina, p-pink skin and brown hair, she- she'll take you to him!" 

"Thank you." Thor dialed back the lightning and took Jane's hand, leading her off once again. 

It took them about half an hour to finally catch sight of the woman through the bustling crowds of the city, and when they did, Thor motioned for Jane to sit on a bench close by. 

"Stay here." he told Jane, gingerly brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. 

Jane's face flushed a bit before she scoffed. "What else would I do, wander off through an unknown planet?" 

He playfully raised an eyebrow at her. "Jane, I know you." 

"Yeah, yeah." She waved him off with a smile, watching as he began to approach the pink-skinned woman, before speaking up to address the Aether. "Hey, so... how do you feel about all this? Being given to the Collector. I know you don't like being treated like an object to be given away." 

_As long as this 'Collector' treats me with respect, I will gladly go with him. I know my presence endangers you, sweet Jane, not just from the Dark Elves, but from others who would gather me and the others for their own selfish needs._

She frowned. "So, there _are_ others? Who else would want you?" she asked, concern twisting her stomach. 

_You needn't worry about that, Jane, you have your Thunderer to protect you._

Jane blushed softly, twisting her hair with her fingers. "Yeah, I guess so." 

She blinked as the Aether's power lit up around her hair, copying her movements to begin braiding her hair. It made her chuckle, and she curiously asked, "By the way... that story Alvilda told me, about the Chosen? Was that true?" 

_In a way, it is._ the Aether replied. 

"How come you chose me, then?" Jane asked curiously. "I'm not... special, at all, I'm not a Dark Elf." 

_You are wrong, sweet Jane. Reality is wild, everchanging. To wield such power, you must embrace it as a partner, not attempt to control it. To most, I am nothing but a tool, but to you, I am alive. That is why I chose you._

She felt her heart warm at how fond its nonexistent voice sounded. "But those healer ladies said that wielding you should be hurting me? Why don't you?" 

_Humans are stronger than many worlds think, sweet Jane. You live short lives, but you are much like me, wild, everchanging, adaptable. We fit perfectly together. But out of the many humans I've encountered, I think you're my favorite._

Jane had to smile softly, looking down at her newly-braided hair before she opened her mouth to keep asking questions, but was interrupted when she noticed Thor returning to her side. 

"Come, she's going to bring us to him right away." Thor told her, gently taking her hand and leading her towards the young woman who was waiting. 

"What did you tell her?" 

"That we had the Reality Stone." 

"Isn't that a little risky?" Jane asked with a slight frown. "Announcing that we have this super powerful thing on an unknown planet?" 

"Probably." 

She felt like face-palming at her boyfriend but she followed him anyway. The woman smiled at them before she began leading them into what almost looked like one of those freakshows from the 1800s, except most of these creatures encased in glass looked like they were still alive. She passed by a dog in an astronaut suit, its tongue hanging out as its tail wagged at her, and some weird humanoid duck creature before Carina drew her attention back. 

"I present to you Taneleer Tivan." The young woman swept her arm in a flourish as she stepped to the side to reveal her master. "The Collector." 

The Collector was a relatively tall man, with white hair and some kind of fur jacket or coat that hung over his shoulders, a single black mark running from his bottom lip to his chin. His dark eyes gave them the once-over before his expression turned into one of recognition after looking over Thor's face. 

"Odinson!" The man gave a low, sweeping bow. "It's an honor." 

Thor furrowed his brow. "You know of me?" 

The Collector gave him a wry smile as he slowly stood back up. "Your brother mentioned you once or twice." 

Jane quickly stepped forward to greet the man, seeing Thor's darkening expression and hoping to change the subject quickly. "I'm Jane Foster. We heard that you could keep the Reality Stone safe." 

"Yes, I can, sweet human... But if I may ask, why not keep it secure in Asgard's vault?" His words came out in a slow drone, his eyes locked on hers like he was mentally dissecting her. It gave her the creeps, honestly. 

"The Tesseract is already on Asgard." Thor told him, stepping up to stand beside Jane again, as if he sensed her uneasiness. "It would be unwise to keep two Infinity Stones so close together." 

"That's very wise." The Collector grinned, extending a hand towards Jane. "The Stone will be safe here, among all my precious creatures." 

Jane frowned uncertainly, putting a hand to her chest, where she could feel the most of the Aether's power. "The Aether isn't just a Stone. It's alive, and it needs to be respected." she warned the Collector. 

The Collector seemed fascinated by her words. "So it is true?" 

Jane slowly nodded and looked down at her hand, where the Aether began to seep out of her veins and form in her palm. "Can you show him?" 

The Aether thrummed softly, its form swirling down towards the floor and seeping into it. Within moments, flowers began to bloom out of the cracks, little creatures that looked similar to bees happily flying out from beneath the petals as they opened up. 

"Amazing..." The Collector murmured, watching as it moved back up to Jane's hand. "Absolutely astonishing." 

Jane could feel the Aether hum pleasantly, and she could almost imagine it preening at his pretty words. But she couldn't help but still feel a little uncertain. "Are you sure...?" she whispered. 

_I am certain._ She could feel the Aether hum pleasantly. _Thank you, sweet Jane._

She smiled softly and nodded, watching at the swirling magic finally settled into a solid form, the form of a glowing red stone. She carefully held it out for the Collector to take into his gloved hand, safely away from anyone who might want to use it. And just as the last of its magic was drawn out of her body, it swirled in her palm and settled into the form of a beautiful pink carnation that made Jane's eyes sting, even though she was trying to hold her emotion down. Thor placed a hand on her shoulder, easing her as she held the flower close. 

"What a beautiful thing you are..." The Collector looked like he was in awe of the Stone, and Jane had to smile a little at how the Stone seemed to glow a little brighter at his praise. "I can assure you, it will be absolutely safe here in my collection." 

"See that it is." Thor nodded, gently beginning to lead Jane away. 

_Goodbye, sweet Jane._ she could hear the Aether call after her. 

She looked over her shoulder at its happily glowing form and smiled softly. "Goodbye." she said before she followed Thor out of the Collector's home and back into the city. 

And when they arrived in Asgard, the first thing she did was place the flower in a vase of water, but only when the years did nothing to make the flower wilt did she realize it was meant to last for a very long time. 

Thor took in a shaky breath as he stood outside of the throne room's looming doors, trying to gather his courage. He'd been standing out here for the past 15 minutes, waiting anxiously for his father to finish speaking with the captain of the guard. 

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Jane asked for the third time, her gentle hand resting on his arm. 

He looked at her beautiful concerned face and gave her a little smile, hoping to reassure her. "I'm sure." He looked up at the doors again. "I mean, it's just a conversation between me and my father." 

"The father you kind of insulted yesterday." Jane coughed into her fist. 

"Thanks for the reminder." 

Two guards opened the doors from the other side, holding it open for him to step inside. Once he was in, they saw themselves out, leaving him and his father alone. He marched up to his father who sat on his golden throne, twisting his staff in his hand in an almost thoughtful way. The sight of the golden throne made Thor's stomach twist, not just with disgust now that he knew where it came from... but with dread, thinking that one day... it might be him on that awful thing. 

"You wanted to see me, my son?" he asked. 

Thor knelt down at the very bottom of the stairs that led to his father, clenching his fists to keep them from shaking. "Yes... I did." 

It was times like this he wished Loki was here... Loki was calm even in the most tense situation, perfectly strung-together words came easily to him. But Loki wasn't here, and Thor's mind was running wild with the thoughts of possible outcomes... What did Banner once say, when one was nervous about saying something? 'Just rip the bandaid off'? So that's exactly what he did. 

"Father, I cannot be King of Asgard."

It was cowardly, but he kept his gaze down, not wanting to admit to himself that he was too scared to look his father in the eye. A long, tense silence stretched between them, and it made Thor's stomach twist further. But he kept going. 

"Loki, for all his flaws... he understood rule as I know I never will." Thor could feel his heart grow heavy at the thought of his little brother, and he took in a shaky breath before he continued. "The brutality, the sacrifice... it changes you... I'd rather be a good man than a great king." 

The silence still stretched between them, getting heavier and tenser with each passing moment, and Thor was almost tempted to back down. But his mind was again drawn to Loki, focusing on him and recalling his independence, his strength even when speaking to their father. Thor was his own man, he needed to make his own decisions, just as his brother had, starting right now. 

"Despite what you may think, this isn't for Jane, Father... but because of her." Thor explained, finally looking up to firmly stare his father in eye. "On earth, I found myself. I learned humility, I learned what it was like to see humans as equals... and I'm learning to be my own man. Now forbid me from seeing her or say she can rule by my side, it changes nothing. This is what I want." 

Odin tapped his finger on his staff, his ravens sitting on his throne just above his head. Thor couldn't remember a time Odin ever looked so thoughtful, as if he were pondering his next words. And maybe he was just seeing things, but... he even looked a little impressed. "One son who wanted the throne too much, another who will not take it. Is this my legacy?" 

"Loki died with honor." Thor replied almost immediately. "I shall try to live the same. Is that not legacy enough?" 

As Odin fell into thoughtful silence once again, Thor could almost imagine his little brother standing beside him, smiling at him for finally deciding to live his own life out of his father's shadow. And Thor found himself looking up at the ceiling, to the mural of his supposedly perfect family, silently asking, _Are you proud of me, brother?_

"I cannot give you my blessing, nor can I wish you good fortune." Odin finally said. 

"...I know." Thor said softly before he stood up from where he knelt and started to walk back towards the towering oak doors.

He hated the way disappointment weighed in the pit of his stomach at his father's words. Even though he knew his father was not the benevolent ruler he once thought he was, and even though he knew that his father had not treated his brother the way he should have... some part of him still cared for his father, still sought out his approval. 

"If I were proud of the man my son had become, even that I could not say." Odin spoke up behind him, making him stop in his tracks. "It would only speak from my heart." 

Thor's breath hitched as he took in Odin's words, almost tempted to look back. Did he really mean that...? It might be one of the kindest things that had come out of his father... But after a moment... he continued forward, holding his head high as the doors were opened for him. The moment he stepped out, it felt like the strings were cut, like he was breathing fresh air for the first time. Jane looked up at him from where she'd been pacing and he must've had a very relieved look on his face because she beamed and threw her arms around him. 

He felt his cheeks grow warm as he embraced her in return. And as they began to leave, his heart soared as he began to think about the life they would lead together. 

He never got to see Loki drop his disguise just as the doors slammed shut behind him, whispering, "Goodbye, brother." 


	20. Epilogue

_One Year Later..._

Loki took in a breath of fresh air as he stood on the throne room's balcony, the morning sun shining down on his face. The city was just beginning to wake, he could hear the bustling of the people leaving their homes to go into town, as well as the sounds of construction resuming close to the palace. He closed his eyes and tilted his head up to the sky with a content sigh, feeling the wind blow through his hair. He wasn't out there for more than a few minutes when his loyal ravens fluttered down to sit on either side of him, making little impatient squawking noises. 

"I know, I know, just give me a minute. Impatient creatures." Loki chuckled, feeling the ravens peck at his arm.

He took in the peaceful morning for about a minute longer before his little nuisances began squawking at him, demanding breakfast. 

"Oh, alright." He rolled his eyes dramatically as he began to walk back inside, waving his hand and disguising himself as a soldier. The ravens sat down on his shoulders as he headed down to the kitchens, retrieving some meat for them to nibble on. 

Once they were fed, he headed outside, where his ravens took off into the sky to do what they always did, observe the whole kingdom, and report back to him. He nodded to any soldier he passed by and entered the stables, where a younger boy was tending to Odin's, and Loki's, favorite steed, Sleipnir. He was a beautiful stallion, with a grey coat and some darker grey spots sprinkled all over his back. His mane was long and black, and his eight legs were said to be able to carry him across water and air with ease. 

"You've taken very good care of him, lad." Loki said with a smile, bending down a little so he could look the boy in the eye. "Why don't you run along while I take him out for a ride?" 

The blonde boy that reminded him a little too much of Thor gave him a cheeky grin. "Only for some coin, sir, for keeping your outing with Odin's prize horse secret from the others in the palace." 

Loki chuckled and reached behind his ear, pulling two golden coins out of thin air. "You drive a hard bargain, Arvid, but that's what I like about you." 

The boy grinned as the coin was dropped into his palm before he suddenly hugged Loki around the waist. "Thank you...!" 

Loki flinched a little in surprise before he watched the boy run off. Sleipnir snorted at him, and for an animal, he had a very expressive face. One might even mistake him for a human in disguise. 

"Don't look at me like that." Loki reached up to gently pet the horse's muzzle, then he opened the stable and led him out, strapping the saddle onto his back before hopping on. "I swear, one could almost assume I'm your mother with how cheeky you are." 

The horse snorted in agreement before he trotted off through the kingdom towards the Bifrost. As they rode through the city, children who played in the street stopped to gasp and stare in awe at the eight-legged stallion as he walked by. Even adults were gawking as they passed, definitely not used to seeing the stallion out in the kingdom. And the whole time, the stallion held his head up high, shaking his mane like a maiden tossing her hair to attract others' eyes. 

"You're such a showoff." Loki snorted with a roll of his eyes. 

Sleipnir nipped at his sleeve before continuing on, running across the bridge with ease until they reached the Gatekeeper. Sleipnir slowed down and shook his mane with a small nicker as Loki climbed off him. 

"Good morning to you, my King." Heimdall greeted him without looking back at him, either because he could see everything or he had some sort of Loki-Sense that alerted him anytime Loki walked into the room. 

Loki dropped his disguise as he dug an apple out of the saddlebag for the stallion. "Yes, yes, rub it in, why don't you?" he huffed sarcastically, Sleipnir eagerly taking the apple. 

The Seer just chuckled. "I watched you grow up, my King, it isn't too hard to deduce whose form you take after a while." 

Loki grumbled to himself as he went to Heimdall's side. It had only taken about a month and a half for the Seer to figure it out, but thankfully, Loki's head had remained attached to his body after he'd been found out. 

"How is the kingdom this fine morning?" 

"You're the Seer, you should know." Loki joked but answered his question anyway, tilting his chin up proudly. "Most of the rebuilding has been completed, and with a lot of the gold we've replaced with better steel, the lower class has been given higher wages. Vanaheim and Alfheim have both declared independence, and once I granted it, rather swiftly might I add, we have begun to establish a very stable trade route between the three realms with any gold that wasn't used to raise the wages of our fine workers." 

"Well done, Loki." Heimdall chuckled. "Your mother would be very proud of you. But I'm sure you're about to ask the same question you always do." 

Loki rolled his eyes, feeling his face grow warm at how often he asked, but that didn't stop him from asking it anyway. "How is my brother?" 

Heimdall looked out into the star-filled galaxy before them. "He is very happy." 

Loki took a deep breath as he felt the Seer's magic seep into his eyes, allowing him to see through his vision down to earth. 

"He has spent much of his time with the Avengers, and they all get along quite well." 

Down on earth, there was some sort of celebration. The whole team was there, all doing their own thing. The Widow speaking with the green beast, though he wasn't much of a beast at the moment, and Barton was shooting darts alongside a dark-skinned man Loki didn't recognize, and both were quite good at the game. To Loki's amusement, Stark was having some kind of competitive argument the Captain while a redheaded young woman watched them with an exasperated expression.

Thor was looking in between the two cluelessly as if he had no idea what was going on, but when his eyes fell on Jane Foster as she arrived, he didn't hesitate to ditch the conversation. Never had Loki seen his brother go from clueless to lovestruck in a matter of seconds. His lover smiled and waved at him, and Loki quickly noticed the beautiful blue topaz ring sitting on the young woman's left hand, glinting softly in the light. Thor seemed unable to resist the urge to steal a kiss from her, and her face lit up, but she just laughed and hugged him with a smile. 

"He has proposed to Jane Foster, as well." Heimdall helpfully remarked. 

"About time." Loki chuckled softly to himself, folding his arms as he watched Jane brush his brother's long hair back. "He really is happy here, isn't he?" 

"Yes, he is. More so than he ever was on Asgard. He's truly come into his own." 

Loki watched as Thor's other friends joined him and his lover, seemingly congratulating them on their engagement, and Loki couldn't help the little smile that crossed his face, watching his brother's face light up with joy that he had never seen before as if he had finally found where he belonged. "So he has..." 

Loki sighed as his vision returned to normal and he looked out into the stars before him. He couldn't understand why earth appealed to Thor so much but never had he seen Thor so genuinely happy. He had a fiance, a group of loyal friends, a 'job' that involved fighting and saving people, and Loki was proud of him for building a new life for himself, but... selfishly, he felt disappointed that Thor had the life he wanted...without Loki in it. But he couldn't dwell on that now. He didn't just come here for a report. The kingdom was prospering now, it was stable, stable enough for him to leave in Heimdall's hands for at least a little while. 

"I need you to open the Bifrost next week." Loki told him after he shook off those pesky emotions. "I won't be gone for too long, hopefully." 

"Where will you be going?" 

"Earth." 

Heimdall looked at him with a slightly raised brow, looking curious. "Earth?" he questioned, even though Loki knew he must suspect the answer. 

Loki gave Heimdall a smile, the first hopeful smile he'd given anyone in a very, very long time. "I'm going to find Sigyn." 

**To Be Continued In: _Lost and Found_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you'd like to see some art of my story, I'll be posting them on my Twitter account: Weaver-of_Fate @ The_Weaver_TC! Stay tuned for more stories about our favorite brothers!


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